Duff McKagan on Loaded, Jane's Addiction, Velvet Revolver and GN'R

[FunkyMonkey]

Duff McKagan on Loaded, Jane's Addiction, Velvet Revolver and GN'R

"I don't see Velvet Revolver happening till fall"

Thu 31 Mar 2011

"Personally, I'm settled and content right now," says Duff McKagan. "My home life is very stable, and that's the most important thing. My daughters are healthy, happy and well-adjusted. My wife and I have been together a long time. We've learned to keep all of the band drama and ups and downs that I go through separate from everything else."

The Taking is a great album. It doesn't feel like Loaded is a side band anymore; this is the work of a full-time, dedicated group of guys, clearly enjoying themselves..

"It is. I'll tell you, it's pretty cool the way the band has progressed. When I formed Loaded in 1999, it was this safe, tucked-away thing for me. And now, suddenly, it's my band. It's my only band. It's what I do. We came off the road after our last album, Sick, and we had all of these riffs and some whole songs, and we were like, 'Hey, let's get into the studio and make another record.' Which is what we did."

How much touring are you planning to do with Loaded this year?

"It all depends on how the record does. You can only tour when the people come. We're playing the Golden God Awards in April, which is a pretty big deal. We've got a great partner with Eagle [Rock Entertainment], who have already put more money into us than Century Media ever did. I'm going to do some stuff for VH1, and in turn they'll run some ads for the record. It's the day of partnerships, man."

What would have happened with Loaded had you stayed with Jane's Addiction?

"OK, here's the deal with that: I was writing with Jane's Addiction. I never joined the band, though, and that was the biggest misconception. I saw it starting to happen, and I told the guys, 'Look, I'm just here to help you with the record. That's my deal. That's what you asked me to do, and that's what I'm doing.'"

You never intended to become a member per se?

"I wasn't planning on it. If it would have happened naturally, I would have considered it. [pauses] They have to make a great record, or else? See, they're poised. They're poised to make a huge comeback. There's a need for a band like that. So, basically, I was there to help them in whatever way I could.

"I've been a fan of Jane's Addiction for many years. I really respect them. But I didn't want it to become this thing, like, 'Oh, the guy from Guns N' Roses is now in Jane's Addiction! The joining of two scenes!' None of that shit. I know it happens, and I've been around. I'm not a dummy. That whole thing could've really gotten in the way of making a great record."

Let's talk about Velvet Revolver. I spoke with Slash before the holidays, and he indicated to me that things would be figured out soon. [McKagan laughs] Then, around the start of 2011, rumors circulated that [Slipknot and Stone Sour singer] Corey Taylor might be the new vocalist.

"We recorded a bunch of songs with Corey. I think he's fucking great. Whether he's in Velvet Revolver or not?'cause I'm at a point where I can see things with a bigger view, you know, it's not all about me? I think he's the best voice of a new generation. The best rock 'n' voice out there. He's got a lot of positive energy. I'd be proud to do anything with him.

"But the truth is?I can't see Velvet Revolver happening till fall, maybe. Slash is touring, I'm just starting to tour? We'll just see. Joe, I just don't have an answer. I don't."

On to another group - Guns N' Roses. Last year, you played with the band in England, but afterwards - and I want to make sure I get this right - you said that you felt it was a mistake to have done so.

"It wasn't a mistake. Everything happens in life for a reason. See, I have a another business that has nothing to do with music at all, and my partners are with a London-based firm. As a result, I go to London from time to time. So I'm in London on a business trip, and the hotel manager is showing me and my wife to our room. Nothing's odd at all, everything's fine. Then the manager says to me, 'You're playing tonight.' And I'm like, 'No, I'm not playing.' He looked at me strangely, and then he said, 'Is it going to be a problem if your room is next to Axl's?' And I said, 'No, there won't be any problem.' At that moment, I said to myself, 'This is the time when it's gonna happen, that he and I reconnect.'

"You know, say what you want, but some of us guys went through a bunch of shit together. You can't take that away, and you can't put yourself in our positions. People have quipped wise about our situation, but what it comes down to is that you're in a room with a guy you went to fucking war with. Everybody said we wouldn't make it, that we sucked. We played gigs to three people. But we believed in ourselves and we got huge, and we went through all of that together, too.

"I hadn't talked to Axl in some time, but you know? I'm a grown-up. Martial arts has really taught me how to deal with a lot of things. The biggest thing is, Don't be a pussy. Not just with that situation, but in general - in life."

If my calculations are correct, next year Guns N' Roses are eligible to be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

"Yeah, there are a lot of 'ifs' in that?"

But with this Hall Of Fame thing?I'd be lying to you if I said I didn't know it was coming. I've been made aware of it. I don't sit around and do the calculations: 'Oh yeah, the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame, that's where I gotta be?'

"So yeah, I guess we could be eligible. But I think it's a real 'cross-that-bridge-when-you-come-to-it' kind of thing. I haven't done any thorough thinking about it or reaching out to anyone about it.

"My only experience with the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame was when VR played it and we were inducting Van Halen. That whole band was supposed to be there, including David Lee Roth - we were going to do a song with him. It all started falling apart in the two weeks leading up to the gig. It was sad to watch?

"We were just the innocent band that was there to play Van Halen songs, and we saw their whole thing crumble. To see Michael Anthony and Sammy Hagar show up, when it was supposed to be everybody... Michael and Sammy were really cool guys and good sports about it, but they took all the heat over the situation. A lot of heat.

"I don't know if I want to set myself up for heat. It's going to be a debacle, isn't it? A press debacle. I just don't know what else to say about it, Joe. I have to come up with some good quotes!" [laughs]

It's a long interview, continue here: http://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/duff-mckagan-on-loaded-janes-addiction-velvet-revolver-and-gnr-410511

[One.In.A.Million]

When Guns N' Roses get inducted into this hall of fame, I actually think that the Chinese Democracy era members should be present and very much at the forefront of this ceremony. And yes I'm talking about people like Pitman, Ron, Robin, Buckethead and Tommy. 

The fact is, some of those members have been in GN'R (or was in GN'R) just as long, and in some cases like Tommy, longer than the originals. And it has all been cemented by the release of Chinese Democracy, which is the diamond inside GN'R's discography. 

Obviously, some of the original members would be wanted to be involved in some way or another. But I hate when people say it has to be the original band, fuck does it, Tommy deserves to be there just as much as Duff. 

[Hudson]

The Original members are the only reason why GNR would get inducted into the RRHOF in 2012. I would not mind if the new band would perform or would be part of the ceremony in some fashion. I even think it would be cool to see all members past present and future getting up on stage and watching about 30 people rocking out on stage, but lets be serious GNR is not getting inducted because of Tommy or Robin's contributions. CD is a good album but aside from the reception of hardcore fans it did not even get airplay or any promotion. In fact it would probably be considered a commercial embarrassment by the voters of the RRHOF (even though it is a good album) because it was not a commercially successful since it was never promoted after it was hyped up for 14 years before its release. No offense, but is silly to even suggest the former.

[1987]

When Guns N' Roses get inducted into this hall of fame, I actually think that the Chinese Democracy era members should be present and very much at the forefront of this ceremony. And yes I'm talking about people like Pitman, Ron, Robin, Buckethead and Tommy. 

The fact is, some of those members have been in GN'R (or was in GN'R) just as long, and in some cases like Tommy, longer than the originals. And it has all been cemented by the release of Chinese Democracy, which is the diamond inside GN'R's discography. 

Obviously, some of the original members would be wanted to be involved in some way or another. But I hate when people say it has to be the original band, fuck does it, Tommy deserves to be there just as much as Duff. 

come on.. CD is a great album but not the reason why they would make the HOF. This is not an old vs new debate.  The guys who wrote and recorded AFD are the ones that deserve to be in the HOF.  Not buckethead or robin or who ever joined the band afterwords.  If the new guys continue to produce great music and release and album as legendary as AFD then they will deserve it too.  The Rock n roll HoF is a joke anyways.  I'm not a huge Kiss fan but how are they not in there?

[Falcon]

The whole GNR in the HOF has the makings of a huge disaster, worse than the Blondie debacle and yes - worse than the VH induction.

Can you imagine the outrage that would ensue if Slash rolled out there with Kennedy singing Jungle or Axl hit the stage with Ashba playing the opening lick to SCOM?

Both scenarios cringe worthy in this setting...

[One.In.A.Million]

The Original members are the only reason why GNR would get inducted into the RRHOF in 2012. I would not mind if the new band would perform or would be part of the ceremony in some fashion. I even think it would be cool to see all members past present and future getting up on stage and watching about 30 people rocking out on stage, but lets be serious GNR is not getting inducted because of Tommy or Robin's contributions. CD is a good album but aside from the reception of hardcore fans it did not even get airplay or any promotion. In fact it would probably be considered a commercial embarrassment by the voters of the RRHOF (even though it is a good album) because it was not a commercially successful since it was never promoted after it was hyped up for 14 years before its release. No offense, but is silly to even suggest the former.

Well it can be argued that without Rob Gardner, Traci Guns and Ole, there wouldn't even be a "Guns N' Roses" so should they be there too?. (I know Ole died) 

Guns N' Roses is a band that has kept on evolving non-stop, and you can't really pin down 1 line-up that should be considered as original. In my view the Guns N' Roses 2001-02 band, are definitely the defining group in terms of saving Guns N' Roses, and evolving GN'R into something really special. And with Chinese Democracy being released, they have triumphed and created an album better than GN'Rs debut Appetite. And don't even start talking about success in terms of sales, if Appetite was released today, it would not do well at all compared to 1987 simply because of the state of the industry. 

When Guns N' Roses get inducted into this hall of fame, I actually think that the Chinese Democracy era members should be present and very much at the forefront of this ceremony. And yes I'm talking about people like Pitman, Ron, Robin, Buckethead and Tommy. 

The fact is, some of those members have been in GN'R (or was in GN'R) just as long, and in some cases like Tommy, longer than the originals. And it has all been cemented by the release of Chinese Democracy, which is the diamond inside GN'R's discography. 

Obviously, some of the original members would be wanted to be involved in some way or another. But I hate when people say it has to be the original band, fuck does it, Tommy deserves to be there just as much as Duff. 

come on.. CD is a great album but not the reason why they would make the HOF. This is not an old vs new debate.  The guys who wrote and recorded AFD are the ones that deserve to be in the HOF.  Not buckethead or robin or who ever joined the band afterwords.  If the new guys continue to produce great music and release and album as legendary as AFD then they will deserve it too.  The Rock n roll HoF is a joke anyways.  I'm not a huge Kiss fan but how are they not in there?

Isn't is funny when you can tell what a poster is going to say based purely on their name. 

The whole GNR in the HOF has the makings of a huge disaster, worse than the Blondie debacle and yes - worse than the VH induction.

Can you imagine the outrage that would ensue if Slash rolled out there with Kennedy singing Jungle or Axl hit the stage with Ashba playing the opening lick to SCOM?

Both scenarios cringe worthy in this setting...

I wouldn't trust Slash to do anything in regards to this event, he most probably would take Fergie or something.   

On the other hand, I would like the organisers to give Axl and Guns N' Roses full control in what to do in this event. GN'R will always make the right desicions and they should play some Chinese Democracy material too, if it was to happen. Guns N' Roses are getting inducted, so in my mind the band called Guns N' Roses should be at the forefront of this show. The original band was a long time gone after a decade, and now Guns N' Roses have so far been performing and recording for over another decade and a half, alot has happened in that time and new members like Robin, Ron, Bucket, Tommy and Chris have driven GN'R into the current era, and they should be recognised more than the 1987 guys. 

[LongGoneDay]

I respect the fact that you are a huge fan of Chinese Democracy and it's lineup, but I think you are confusing your opinions with reality.
When you say Chinese is a better album than AFD, you have to understand you are in the minority. Regardless, it's irrelevant either way.
The Chinese Democracy album and lineup don't enter into the equation when determining if GNR is inducted in the HOF.
If GNR broke up in 1993, they would still be nominated.

The fact that guys like Tommy, Robin etc were in the band longer than Slash, Duff, Izzy only speaks to the chemistry Axl and those guys had, and how productive and creative they were in a short amount of time.

I really don't see it generating any interest unless the AFD lineup shows up to accept the award, anyway.
I have zero interest in seeing Slash and Myles, or current GNR perform there. It would be disingenuous in my opinion.

[AxlReznor]

Way to derail a thread guys... thanks.

[sleeper]

The AFD line up should be inducted. Hopefully they all can show up and act like adults. I don't think under the curcumstances anyone will perform. JMO

[Falcon]

Way to derail a thread guys... thanks.

Ya, I kinda helped this one go off path - apologies.

Back on topic, great interview - lotsa insight on many subjects.