Duff McKagan Leaves Jane's Addiction

[FunkyMonkey]

Ex-Guns N' Roses Bassist Leaves Jane's Addiction

September 6, 2010

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Rock band Jane's Addiction said Monday it has parted ways with its latest bass player, former Guns N' Roses member Duff McKagan, five months after announcing his addition to the oft-vacated post.

McKagan, 46, performed a few concerts with the band, and worked on new material for its first album in seven years, but musical differences cut short his tenure.

"Hey we wanted to thank Duff for helping us write songs for our new record," the band said via email. "We love the songs we worked on with him -- and the gigs were a blast -- but musically we were all headed in different directions. From here Duff is off to work on his own stuff so we wish him all the best."

Jane's Addiction has been through five bass players since it formed in 1985, while the rest of the quartet's lineup is unchanged. Original member Eric Avery has come and gone twice, most recently replaced by McKagan in March after an Australian tour.

McKagan is best known as a founding member of Guns N' Roses, contributing such songs as "Paradise City" and "It's So Easy" to one of the biggest bands of the early 1990s. But as with some of the group's other members, drugs and alcohol got in the way, and McKagan almost died after his pancreas ruptured in 1994. He sobered up and quit the band a few years later.


After studying business at Seattle University, he joined forces with two other Guns alumni to form Velvet Revolver in 2002. The band released two albums and won a Grammy before crumbling in 2008.

McKagan last year recorded and toured with his new band, Loaded. According to a Twitter message from Jane's Addiction frontman Perry Farrell, McKagan plans to issue a follow-up album and return to the road in the fall. A spokesman for McKagan was not immediately available.

Jane's Addiction emerged from the Los Angeles rock underground in the 1980s, distinguishing itself from other post-punk groups with Farrell's sexually ambiguous stagecraft and the musicians' deft ear for melodic tunes. They recorded just three albums and scored radio play with such songs as "Been Caught Stealing" and "Jane Says."

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wirestory?id=11569387&page=1

[lynn1961]

Well, that was quick.

[FunkyMonkey]

From Perry Farrell:

Jane's wishes Duff much luck with his band Loaded. What a fun time we all had working together. Look out for his record and tour this fall.

about 16 hours ago via web

[sleeper]

That didn't take long. But I'm not surprised.

[Trist805]

That's really too bad.  Would have been a great gig for Duff, and I liked what I saw from them, together.   I was kind of wondering why he hadn't mentioned anything lately.   That being said, I will definitely NOT be buying the new JA record now. 

[D]

Maybe this means VR found a singer?

[sleeper]

Maybe this means VR found a singer?

There have been some hints that could be the case. But I won't hold my breath.

[AxlReznor]

I think it's more likely that Loaded have just finished their new record, and he wants to concentrate on that from now on.
I'd be very surprised if by the end of the year Velvet Revolver are any closer to finding a singer than they were last year, personally.

As a fan of Jane's Addiction, I wish I could say I'm upset, but I'm not. I hope they use the material he wrote with them on the new album, but it just didn't sit right with me. And I always had a feeling that he'd drop it as soon as Loaded were up-and-running again.

[Dayle1066]

As a huge Loaded fan Im glad in a way! The videos of Duff with JA were cool though.

[sleeper]

Duff has said recently that LOADED does not have a record label yet and that LOADED will tour next spring and summer. So that does leave sometime for VR maybe.

[Naupis]

They are supposedly going to work on VR stuff from October-Jan once Slash gets off tour and before he goes back on in February.

To be honest I would be more interested to hear what Slash's touring band could come up with for an album than another VR album at this point. I kind of feel like that has run its course, and Slash was just way too constrained in that setting.

He has been like a totally different guy on both his album and on tour compared to what we saw of him in VR, and I would kind of like to see where he could go with the guys he's with now. Myles will be fussing with Alter Bridge stuff into the middle of next year, but after that he would be free as those guys will go back to Creed.

Creatively I think frankly that would be more interesting than another VR album, but that is just my opinion.

[FunkyMonkey]

From an interview today with Perry Farrell:

Jane's frontman also explains why Eric Avery and Duff McKagan left the group

Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan replaced Avery, but he left playing a handful of shows with the band. "I couldn't really tell you what his problem was," says Farrell. "You can ask him. He's calling it 'creative differences.' I know he didn't like the idea of electronics at all. That was his complaint. We've got our gripes too, but what's the point?"

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/exclusive-perry-farrell-opens-up-about-new-dave-sitek-produced-janes-addiction-lp-20110112?page=2

[AxlReznor]

From an interview today with Perry Farrell:

Jane's frontman also explains why Eric Avery and Duff McKagan left the group

Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan replaced Avery, but he left playing a handful of shows with the band. "I couldn't really tell you what his problem was," says Farrell. "You can ask him. He's calling it 'creative differences.' I know he didn't like the idea of electronics at all. That was his complaint. We've got our gripes too, but what's the point?"

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/exclusive-perry-farrell-opens-up-about-new-dave-sitek-produced-janes-addiction-lp-20110112?page=2

Can anyone say sour grapes?

[Falcon]

From an interview today with Perry Farrell:

Jane's frontman also explains why Eric Avery and Duff McKagan left the group

Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan replaced Avery, but he left playing a handful of shows with the band. "I couldn't really tell you what his problem was," says Farrell. "You can ask him. He's calling it 'creative differences.' I know he didn't like the idea of electronics at all. That was his complaint. We've got our gripes too, but what's the point?"

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/exclusive-perry-farrell-opens-up-about-new-dave-sitek-produced-janes-addiction-lp-20110112?page=2

Can anyone say sour grapes?

I remember thinking "this won't last long" when it came out Duff had "joined" JA, talk about a bad mix from the get go. 

Beyond the electronics, smart money says Duff wasn't real keen on the back up dancers/choreography aspect of Jane's live production..

[FunkyMonkey]

Beyond the electronics, smart money says Duff wasn't real keen on the back up dancers/choreography aspect of Jane's live production..

You may have a point.  Duff did look a little out of place next to the girls swinging from the ceiling.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRB20yrhuPY

[lynn1961]

Duff just really didn't belong in JA, anyway.  I don't know what he was thinking.  Maybe it was more of a way to pass the time until VR got serious again.  Who knows.   

[Mudkicker]

say what you will about him not fitting in..but I was at both L.A. shows he did with them (Bardot and The Roxy) and the vibe in the band was fantastic and he fit in great live. maybe musically, not so much which is where the problem with making the album comes in but he's a much better replacement than chris chaney. Those two shows were absolutely incredible.

[lynn1961]

Well, that is nice to hear about the shows having a great vibe and glad you enjoyed them and got to see them.   Maybe it is musically - just didn't seem like the "right" fit or something. Duff's a great musician/bass player no matter where or what.   

[FunkyMonkey]

From Dave Navarro:

Music Radar:Frankly, I was a little surprised when Duff joined the band. Not that he was a bad fit; I just didn't see him as the logical choice. How did he hook up with you guys in the first place?

Dave Navarro: "I'm not entirely certain as to the exact timeline of how that happened. Ultimately, for me to answer that question would be to try to relay a conversation that he had with Perry. The fact of the matter is, on a lot of levels, we were looking at a lot of the elements that were right. We've been longtime friends, we've played together in a lot of the same scenarios, we're from the same time, the same city, the same scene to a degree? Those elements were, in fact, in alignment. To be honest, we as a band are happy to cast our net in different directions. So we didn't know what to expect, either."

I spoke with Slash last year, who suggested that he didn't think it was Duff's plan to remain in Jane's Addiction. Were you under the impression that Duff's commitment was total? You have to admit, the situation is a little confusing.

"You know, I can't sit and answer to everybody's confusion. Put it this way: Duff was a great guy to come in and work with us and write with us and tour with us a little bit. In a lot of ways, whether he stayed in the band for 10 years or five minutes, he kept us in the direction of being productive. At the end of the day, that's really all I can ask for. As far as people being confused, I don't really know what to say. Take a walk in my shoes if you want to talk about confusion." [laughs]

I hear you. For the time that he was in the band, writing-wise and playing wise, what did Duff contribute? And how did he shape what you do as a player?

"To be honest with you, I don't really think that talking about a guy who was in my band and isn't in my band anymore, and who was only there for a short period of time, is really relevant to what we're doing now. I just don't want to go back over all that stuff, you know what I mean?"