Here Today... Gone To Hell!

Duff McKagan, former Guns N' Roses bassist, talks drugs, books, and the Minnesota music scene

Oct. 18 2011

Duff McKagan, former bassist for Guns N' Roses, knows that his rock 'n' roll lifestyle almost killed him. At the pinnacle of band's success McKagan's drug and alcohol problem began to spiral out of control. In 1994, his pancreas burst as a result of substance abuse. Doctors told him that if he didn't get clean, he would die.

"Nobody dreams of being in a band, writing great songs, and being addicted," he says. "You never hear of anyone say, 'Yeah, I want to be in a band and I want to be strung out.' But there I was."

McKagan's book, It's so Easy (and other lies), chronicles that journey, from a difficult childhood, to the formation of Guns N' Roses, to his struggle with drugs and alcohol, to his decision to get clean. Today, McKagan is sober, happily married to supermodel Susan Holmes McKagan, and is the proud father of two girls, Grace (14) and Mae (11). He also went back to school to study business at Seattle University, and currently writes for Seattle Weekly and Playboy.

McKagan's book tour took him to Mall of America this weekend, where he hosted a Q&A with fans, signed autographs, and talked with City Pages.

How did you decide to write a book?

Having two columns [as a writer for Playboy and Seattle Weekly] and two deadlines, I discovered that I can articulate myself better in written word. It was kind of an 'a-ha!' revelation for me. My writing lead to self-discoveries, and I started writing these side stories about me that were not appropriate in column form. People would ask, 'How much did you drink? How much drugs did you do?' I started to write how I got there; the descent into insanity basically. I wrote about how I got out: through martial arts, meeting my wife, and having my first child.

I saw where I took responsibility for my own life. All that bad shit that happened? Maybe it wasn't everyone else's fault. Maybe I had something to do with it. And all that good stuff? I probably didn't have everything to do with all the good stuff. It was really really interesting, sad, exhilarating to write about this stuff.

Do you have a favorite artist that you have played with?

Iggy [Pop] is number one. I got to play on Iggy's record. For a guy like me, that's it.

I also got to play with Brian James, I got to be in a band with Steve Jones from the [Sex] Pistols. There are so many people... I can't even name everyone. Wayne Kramer from MC5. Brian May and Dave Grohl. Lots of Seattle people. Elton John's guys and Pearl Jam's guys. I've been really pretty lucky.

What are your thoughts on Guns N' Roses and that time in your life?

We did it our own way, and kind of against all odds. We didn't care what other people were doing. We just put our ear muffs on, pinned our ears back, and went for it. At some point, a bunch of other people saw it our way. It was really an amazing and beautiful ride.

Do you have any regrets?

I wouldn't be talking to you right now about my book if it weren't for the things I did while I was young. I wouldn't change my life and my past for anything, because I wouldn't have met my wife. I wouldn't have been at that place to get her phone number, and therefore be with my kids. So my past is my past and I'm trying now to learn from different things, instead of just being like, 'Oh fuck it.' Maybe there's a lesson.
 
Do you have any thoughts on the Minneapolis music scene?

Prince is my all-time guy. I think I make that pretty clear in the book. H?sker D? and the Replacements -- the whole SST scene -- was a big deal when I was a kid. Black Flag saw H?sker D?, signed them to their SST label, and suddenly H?sker D? was in the van and spreading their gospel. With the Replacements, they're kind of like a punk rock, Rolling Stones type of thing. Really cool, different music has come out of Minneapolis.
 
Any thoughts on Tommy Stinson (founding member of the Replacements and current bass player for Guns N' Roses)?

He's my replacement -- that's our ongoing joke. We're good buddies. I was in the band that opened for The Replacements in 1983, so I've known Tommy since then. He's a fine gentlemen. We have a lot of things in common besides rock music. I think he's a fine fellow and a righteous dude. I like him.

Where are you at with your current band, Loaded?

They [Guns N' Roses and Velvet Revolver] both play really honest music. We never tried to write a commercial hit. Loaded is the same in that respect; the lyrics and everything about the music are just the truth. In some ways Loaded is a very modern band and in some ways we're different and punk rock.

How is fatherhood working out for you?

I can't articulate how many ways that it has changed me; just being there and really watching the things you say and following through because you have the responsibility of the development of two girls. It keeps you really current and really sort of young. I get a lot of good jokes from the whole thing, and a lot of times the joke's on me. It's fucking wonderful.

What is the most important life lesson you've learned so far?

Not to take life so goddamn seriously, and to step outside of yourself for a minute because it's not all about you. Take responsibility for your shit, and stay true to your goddamn truth no matter what. I'm not perfect -- I know that -- though maybe at one point in my life I thought, 'Yeah, I'm fucking perfect, man. I'm right all the time.' That's just not the truth. That's not how life works. I've learned some of those things along the way, which is good.

http://blogs.citypages.com/dressingroom/2011/10/duff_mckagan_guns_n_roses_drugs_books_minnesota.php

Just finished the book.....Impossible to take a rest from reading it :)

Yea I'm enjoying the book too.  I didn't get the "amazing beautiful ride" vibe though lol.  Especially after 1988(probably more of a rollercoaster).  I actually thought it was kind of cool how honest he was about everything.  I feel like in a respectful way, he called Axl out on quite a few things...the Chicago incident, the lateness etc.   I know Slash and Adler's books were not as reliable, but I feel like Duff was being pretty honest.  I would like to see what Axl has to say about this stuff.  Would he admit to any wrong doing, or would he just find fault in the others?

Another interview with Duff:

Duff McKagan, Guns N' Roses rocker, now a writer

10/19/2011

McKagan, who is married with children, talked about that life-changing moment, his writing career and Guns N' Roses during a recent interview with The Associated Press.

AP: The title of the book is "It's So Easy," and yet it hasn't been so easy. What made it hard?

McKagan: The band started to take off, and moving to L.A. was great. But I suffered panic attacks, young. And I found that drinking would dampen down the panic attacks. And I always thought to myself, "When I get up some free time, I'll deal with this," but as the band started to take off more and more, I got the panic attacks greater and greater, and I was drinking more and more. And then I found drugs, cocaine. I could drink more if I did cocaine, but cocaine would give me more panic attacks, and it would be this caustic kind of stew of action and reaction.

AP: What made you change?

McKagan: I found reason in the hospital. My mom ? I'm the last of eight kids ? had Parkinson's (disease) at the time. She came to the hospital, and she was suffering Parkinson's shakes and she was in a wheelchair. I'm the youngest son. I realized then and there that order of things was wrong. I was supposed to be taking care of her.

AP: You have said that kickboxing turned your life around. How did that happen?

McKagan: I looked like hell and there were boils coming out of my skin from drugs like leaving my body and this trainer said, 'There's somebody I want you to meet,' and they took me to this dojo ... He introduced me to sensei (teacher) Benny, and I could tell right away that he could see right through me, down inside of me and knew instantly. Still to this day, he's been my sensei for 16 years, 17 years, and I can tell you in that time, I've said no more than 500 words to him.

AP: How comfortable was it for you to put your life in a book?

McKagan: While it may seem like I revealed a ton in writing, you can reveal what you want to reveal. I keep my private life as private as I can. I revealed the important things as they relate to this book and the subject matter of this book.

AP: You do quite a bit of writing, how did that start?

McKagan: In 2008, I started writing for Seattle Weekly. I thought that maybe I would last a couple of weeks and I'd screw it up and they'd find somebody else. But I really found a voice and I like it. Those first two weeks turned into four, then six and eight. Now I'm there 170 weeks or something like that. After about a week, Playboy.com asked me to write a financial column because they knew I went to business school.

AP: Now that you're a writer, what comes first?

McKagan: Music takes precedence over everything. Writing is something you can do on the road, backstage, on the tour bus, on a plane. I get some of my best writing done on a plane. My bandmates are so used to me writing.

AP: Do you feel you're breaking the mold of what a rock star is thought to be?

McKagan: I think the mold was formed, especially in America, by some outlandish characters that became a stereotype and a pigeonhole and all of that. A lot of the most prolific musicians I know are the smartest, most sensitive people that should be running the world.

AP: Any chance Guns N' Roses would get back together?

McKagan: Of course there's a chance. I don't know how real that chance is. It's not something I ever write about or talk at home about or with any of those principal people about, ever.

AP: But you have played with Axl (Rose) recently?

McKagan: Just one. I played a couple songs and he was in London (at the) same hotel and one thing led to another.

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