Here Today... Gone To Hell!

Q&A: Duff McKagan - ex-Guns N' Roses

Friday October 02 2009

Be honest: what did you think of Chinese Democracy?

This is probably the 1000th time I've been asked that. I think the players are great. It's got a great drummer. Everybody is great on it. Axl sings great -- yeah, good record.

Axl Rose -- rock's answer to Howard Hughes or misunderstood genius?

I think when you don't talk to the media, then the media starts running a little crazy with things. There was a Rolling Stone story about him that painted him as a Howard Hughes sort of figure and everybody used that as the template to write about Axl. None of it is true. You know, he's just a guy caught up in events.

As were the rest of you in Guns n' Roses. But he's the only one who spent 15 years slaving over an album in his basement.

He was the singer of that band. And that band got bigger than anybody could have imagined. And being the singer you are the focal point, rightly or wrongly. You are. There is nothing that can prepare you for that.

It must have been pretty crazy when G n' R blew up in 87?

Man, the fame part... I remember walking into a grocery store and everybody started freaking out. Into a grocery store! The store I used to go to all the time. You know, nothing prepares you for that. And people deal with it differently. You build up these little defence mechanisms. You can't be a normal guy.

Especially if you're the singer...

Especially being a singer with red hair! You are recognisable everywhere. So yeah, if you call it 'reclusive' -- that's one person's angle on what it was. Or if you want to say, he saved himself, that's another story.

Between the groupies, the drugs and the boozing, it's a miracle you actually had any time to actually make music.

Things were still wide open. Yeah, we were fucking and sharing needles. It was really, really debauched. Not just in our camp but kind of everywhere. It was probably the last great run at sheer hedonism.

Does it get a bit old after a while?

Aids is what really put a damper on it. People were going on around not using rubbers, not using clean needles. It was just kind of a free for all. I don't think it was something anyone grew out of. It would probably be that way still if it wasn't for Aids.

Slash's heart actually stopped beating once and he had to be resuscitated by paramedics. Did you have any miracle escapes?

Oh countless of 'em. Sure. It's a miracle Slash is alive. It's a miracle I'm alive. Or even Axl -- although he was probably the least [hedonistic] of us. He always sort of stayed away from going too deep into it.

The 'hair rockers' of the 80s got a pretty hard time from grunge bands like Nirvana. Coming from Seattle, did that get under your skin?

In one aspect, we weren't included in that. We were such a big band that, sticks and stones can break your bones... you know? But the other aspect was, 'God, I could have stayed in Seattle and been in Soundgarden or Alice in Chains'. I wouldn't even have had to move. I probably wouldn't have had to become a drug addict. Of course, you always want what you don't have. I was in the biggest band in the world at the time. That's not half bad.

Moving to the more recent past, Velvet Revolver parted ways with vocalist Scott Weiland last year. What was that all about?

Nothing against Scott...I'm not saying it was all his fault. But the year before we let him go, it was pretty brutal. I didn't realise how exhausted I was 'til we got home from tour.

And now you're going on the road with your own band, Duff McKagan's Loaded. Is playing clubs a comedown after performing in huge arenas?

When the crowd's right on top of you? I really, really like that. People are hanging off the rafters. It's almost a perfect size

Looking back at pictures of yourself from the G n' R days do you gaze fondly at the perms and the ridiculous clothes, or do you wince slightly?

Hey man, we were the one band of the many bands from that era who wore our hearts on our sleeve. We set trends as opposed to following them. We didn't give a fuck. So when I see pictures, I smile. It was a great time.

Duff McKagan's Loaded play The Academy Dublin, Thursday 8 October. The album Sick is out now.

- Paul Whitington

Irish Independent

http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/day-and-night/features/qampa-duff-mckagan--exguns-n-roses-1902494.html

That's a fucking cool response. Gotta love Duff, the guy is nothing but class. : ok:

thanks, this was a good one  :smoking:

i agree.

great response, fuck that interviewer!

Great interview. A lot of questions about Axl n' Duff answers it very well, with class


Seems like there are some kinda closer relationship between Axl n' Duff according the last interviews of both... It wouldn't be that surprising if Duff play some songs in the next Gn'R tour...

Duff might be the one dude that has the power to bring Axl and Slash back together.
And no, i dont mean for a reunion, but it would be nice if they got along again on some level.... might cut out a LOT of the civil war on these boards.

Since i live in ireland, ill have to buy this paper now, although that paper generally sucks ass!

Thanks FunkyMonkey!

I gotta' say, though, that these interviewers always come up with such "original" questions, don't they?  Same questions again and again, basically, especially asking numerous questions about Axl Rose. 

As for the last two comments here - I don't know where you guys would ever get the idea that there is a "closer" relationship there or that Duff might possibly play on the next tour or be some kind of mediator.  All I can say is - keep dreamin'.

Axl said that Duff might play guitar in a couple of songs. Duff used to talk shit about Axl not a long time ago. Even I remember that he said sometime ago that he likes some songs on Chinese Democracy n' others not. Now he talk well about Axl n' say that CD is a good record. Duff/Slash fought in court against Axl. Rose said that Slash is "a cancer" n' he could play with Duff someday. That is a close-up. I never said nothin' bout a reunion n' those shits...

Yea I was thinking the same thing.  It would be so cool if Duff came up and jammed for a few songs with GNR... kind of like Izzy did in 2006.   Duff is my favorite of the ex members, and the most together.   The fans would go fuckin crazy for it, I know I would.   I think it is more of a possibility now that VR is not a main priority.

Duff has never talked "shit" about Axl to my knowledge.  Proof or GTFO

Expressing your opinion as to what happened, isn't talking shit, its your opinion

People get on here trying to hate on Duff due to lawsuits

well, they stopped getting royalties. Maybe that wasn't Axl's fault but he is still the one u have to sue to rectify the situation. Maybe they couldn't get in direct contact with Axl so suing is the only way to get answers.

It isn't like they were trying to bankrupt him and steal his soul. just going after what was rightfully theirs.

who wouldn't do the same thing?

Izzy was Axl's friend from before the band even existed, so its understandable that Axl might be more forgiving to him.  And he's not a media whore (not that Duff really is, but someone else is).

I'm just saying you don't know their true intentions.    Have you discussed these lawsuits with Duff?   It seems to me they got just a little carried away filing lawsuit after lawsuit.    Axl's spoken about it before how people have tried to keep him from being able to release music and perform on tour.  Who do you think he was talking about?   I don't think he's talking about Izzy.

just ignore him, he seems to enjoy coming into this section and winding people up.

i mean paraphrasing jacdaniel cutting out key parts of his post("no i do not mean a re-union"), and then quoting axl "slash or i will die before there is a re-union".

the quote he used had nothing to do with the comment made by jacdaniel at all. the only reason to post it was to get a reaction, the thing is everyone ignored that, so he then picks on you for defending duff over the royalties lawsuit. not by making a post with any substance to it, but rather by just throwing a thinly veiled insult at you. now he's got your attention and the topic is completely off track and going to turn into a slash vs axl bitchfest as was his aim with the blatent misquote about a re-union.

Axl obviously has no problem with Duff going back to the last statement he made about Duff doing a song or two.

last thing on the lawsuits, if the roles were reversed, Axl would've done the exact same thing which is why he probably holds no grudge towards Duff.

I don't think Axl hates Slash due to any lawsuits either. it runs way deeper than that.

why would anyone post "oh i hope axl and slash make amends, not for a reunion, but just so they can be friends!".   yea right!  thats ridiculous, who cares about that.

Knock it the fuck off, all of ya'.  Seriously.  Stop.

If Axl and Slash were on good terms again, there wouldnt be as much bickering bout stupid things on here.
So... yeah i think it would be good if they patched things up.

But Alan is correct, we all know why you're here.  : ok: