It’s not even noon, yet the guitarist is already over four hours into a full day of radio and TV appearances in Manhattan to promote ‘Slash,’ his debut solo album that came out in April, and a summer tour that will take him around the world. For someone who’s written some of the all-time greatest guitar riffs and sold over 100 million albums with Guns N’ Roses and Velvet Revolver, Slash doesn’t carry himself like a megastar. The guitarist has no entourage aside from his bodyguard/assistant, Junior, and despite not being thrilled by another day of press obligations — he’s already done this in Europe, Japan and Australia — he’s not treating it like a burden. “That’s what sucks about the solo thing — you can’t pawn anything off,” he says with a grin. “But I’m so easygoing, right? I’ll do an interview between songs.”

Easygoing is probably the best word to describe the guitar legend’s mood as we set off in a black Escalade that will take him to several media outlets around the city. Within minutes of meeting us, he seems as comfortable as anyone can be while being filmed and photographed by complete strangers. Somehow, we end up on the topic of MTV and ‘Jersey Shore,’ which then leads to a discussion of ‘The Real Housewives of New Jersey.’ “You see, the thing that’s wrong with Jersey is that Bon Jovi’s from Jersey,” he quips as we pull up to ABC, the first of many deadpan, sarcastic one-liners he’ll deliver throughout the day.

After a lengthy wait in the green room, Slash gets on camera for his segment, which follows news items on Lindsay Lohan, Bret Michaels, ‘Dancing With the Stars’ and Justin Bieber. It’s further proof — aside from the chart-topping sales — that ‘Slash’ represents a surprising mainstream success for the guitarist. Thanks to his appearance in ‘Guitar Hero III,’ he’s even becoming more popular among a much younger generation. An onscreen caption bills him as a “Video Game Star,” and Slash tells the interviewer that a kid once recognized him from the game but had no idea he was ever in a real band.

Off camera, Slash admits to Spinner that after being hooked on ‘Guitar Hero 2’ — “I locked myself in my office for three weeks until I mastered it,” he says — he can’t enjoy the third installment. “Ever since I’ve actually been implemented into the game, I can’t play it,” he says. “Anything my image is in — interviews, concerts, games — I avoid like the plague.”