LOCKED AND LOADEDDuff McKagan?s Loaded and Guns N? Roses will soon be passing through Australian airports within a week of each other. ?I hope one day that we become friends again because we did go through a lot,? McKagan enlightens Bryget Chrisfield. ?But ? I don?t know really what to say.?
"I remember the first time coming out there to play in ?88,? Duff McKagan recalls of exploring our great southern land with THAT band in which he was bassist for 12 years: Guns N? Roses. ?[This was] before the internet so you don?t know how many people are gonna come to your show. I think the first place we played was in Sydney, and we played a bigger place than we usually played and it was sold out. We were like, ?What the fuck!?? And um, the people down there ? I realised it instantly. I was into Australian bands like The Saints, starting back then, your [Radio] Birdman, Rose Tattoo, of course, The Angels and AC/DC, of course. So getting down there was kinda gettin? down to hallowed ground for me and then seeing these fans ? and they were snarling rock fans, like, ?This is the way it?s supposed to be!? And some guy came up to me and he was like, ?Check it out!? and he was kind of freakin? out and he took off his shirt and he had a whole back piece of our record cover. And I?m like, ?Okay. Well, the Aussies: they?re hardcore.??
McKagan might even cross paths with his former Gunners bandmate Axl Rose while he?s Down Under since Guns N? Roses are also scheduled to hit our shores for a string of shows in March. ?Right,? McKagan acknowledges. When he?s informed there?s a faction of diehard (original line-up) Gunners fans planning on setting up outside the venue to listen to Rose and co play the much-loved tunes while refusing to fork out for a ticket by way of protest, he chuckles and sounds moved. ?Obviously it is a little touching for sure [pauses], more than a little touching. But so much time has passed, you know: I?m this guy who likes to think everybody?s doing their thing they?re meant to be doing right now and sometimes you hope things will be different, just as travellers in life [laughs awkwardly]. Like, I hope one day that we become friends again because we did go through a lot, but ? I don?t know really what to say.?
Duff McKagan?s Loaded will be playing the following dates:
Saturday 23 February - Soundwave, Brisbane QLD
Sunday 24 February - Soundwave, Sydney NSW
Monday 25 February - Manning Bar, Sydney NSW
Thursday 28 February - The Espy Hotel, Melbourne VIC
Friday 1 March - Soundwave, Melbourne VIC
Saturday 2 March - Soundwave, Adelaide SA
Monday 4 March - Soundwave, Perth WA
Full interview here:
http://themusic.com.au/interviews/all/duff-mckagans-loaded/
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