Duff McKagan's Column In Seattle Weekly

[FunkyMonkey]

Duff McKagan: We've Got It Good (Food)

Posted yesterday at 10:40 pm by Duff McKagan

I'll preface this column by saying first off I realize these days we all may have a bit less to spend, but secondly, we must at least try to spend a little dough, in our town, on our local vendors.

I am fortunate enough to be able to travel quite a bit. Of course when I do, I must eat. Some cities (like New York and London) have absolutely wonderful choices for good food. Most other cities may have a few good restaurants, but as a whole, suck. We are blessed in this city to have a veritable plethora of really, really good dining spots. You don't have to be independently wealthy to dine out here either; Seattle is the king of cozy, affordable neighborhood fare. I am now going to highlight a few places that I dig. Hey, I am certainly not a food critic, just a dude with a couple of tips...and a column!

My wife and I went and got our Christmas tree this past weekend at a tree lot on 75th and Northeast 25th (by Eckstein Middle School). On our way back, we stopped off at Top Pot Doughnuts on Northeast 25th. Now my wife is a true connoisseur of all things pastry; she now swears that this is the "hands down best" doughnut place she has EVER been to. Loaded's producer, Martin Feveyear, on the other hand, swears by Mighty O's doughnuts near Greenlake. I have tasted both and am quite sure that you couldn't go wrong with either, so have fun and try both...it's cheap and they both have great coffee!

I do all of my recording in Wallingford, and therefore spend a ton of time in that neighborhood. As a result, I have found a few really nice lunch and dinner spots. Erwin's is a great spot on North 40th (four blocks east of Wallingford Ave.) that serves a mean latte while serving up great soup and the best Chinese chicken salad that I have ever had, all at an affordable price and with a great vibe. Sea-Thai on 45th (just west of Dick's) is a new find for me. Four of us had a dinner of excellent Thai food for about $40...with appetizers. Chutney's Indian Cuisine on 45th (across from the Wallingford QFC) is possibly the best Indian food in town. I think that along this stretch of 45th, either a restaurant has got to be outstanding or it will be gone. The competition is just too good. If you are in the area and want Pho, try Pho on the Ave (on University Ave.), cheap as it gets.

Barbecue has long been a favorite of mine, and I would always look forward to playing gigs in Texas, Kansas City, or anywhere in the South. Seattle could never even remotely be considered a top destination for ribs and beans until now: Slim's Last Chance way down past the Starbucks HQ on First Ave. is some of the best barbecue that I have eaten anywhere (but beware of the sassy older waitresses and be careful when you order the "3 Way" from them!). Ro Ro's barbecue on Stone Way in east Fremont is another excellent choice for the ribs and chicken...and sass. (The "hostess" once told me she had a crush on one of the guys in my band. When I asked which guy, she retorted with "The one who wears his little sister's pants!"...priceless.) Both of these joints are REAL affordable, and I guarantee the quality is second to none. Thank me later. A good side note: The beans at both of these places make great ammunition for fart tennis action. And just when you said, "Duff. You've done enough for us already!"

For those of us who have kids and therefore need a high-mess-without-the-guilt place to eat, may I suggest two: The ever-classic Ivar's fish bar off of Northlake Ave. on South Lake Union is of course great. The seagulls will pick up any unnecessary scraps left on the ground. (My brother Matt worked there in the 80's, and witnessed a car come off the I-5 bridge and crash in front of the place. You sick motherfuckers can go down and perhaps wait for that to happen again.) World Wrapps in U-Village has got everything from smoothies to "Thai Bowls"...and you clean up after yourself (and your kids).

Living in L.A. for so long certainly has had its drawbacks (REALLY bad traffic, smog, assholes, fake motherfuckers, real motherfuckers, entertainment attorneys, and more smog and assholes), but one thing is top-shelf there...Mexican food. Seattle never really got it quite right over the years (although Wenatchee and Yakima most certainly did). Well, this has also changed now that Senor Moose on Leary Way in Ballard has appeared. This place does traditional Mexican like I have never quite had. I have a niece from just outside Mexico City, and she swears that Senor Moose has got it right...real, real good. Get there early, as they don't take reservations and there is always a line.

There is a place in my neck of the woods that my wife Susan swears by and goes to any chance she has. Pair on Northeast 55th St. is (I guess) uniquely European. She can't quite explain where the food is traditional from, other than it's a "sort of Swiss Alps" type of food. She said that their potatoes au gratin are absolutely "sick," and that if I were to write on cozy neighborhood joints, I should include this place and it should be at the top. These past few sentences bear witness as a big ol' "yes, dear" from me. I will tell you that she goes to the Duchess Tavern across the street to have a couple of glasses of wine to wash down the aforementioned potatoes....then we get our "jiggy" on. Was that too much information? Seriously though, my wife lived in France and Italy and knows from where she talks when it comes to food!

OK, so now you maybe have a few more bucks to spend after a relative cut you some weird "guilt check" for Christmas (an old aunt of mine did this one year for me; I didn't see what was wrong with me wearing a tuxedo while she insisted I call my dog "Grandpa" while she took a shower...but I digress?). My all-time favorite "fancy" place to eat in Seattle is Wild Ginger on Second Ave. downtown. Order the scallops and you will see what I mean when I say that this place flat-out kicks some serious gastronomic ass. I think it is kind of a "pick-up joint" on weekends, but who gives a crap...it's killer.

So that's it from me. I hope some of you get a chance to at least try one of these places. If it sucks, they must have changed owners, or the cook is smokin' weed.

http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/reverb/2008/12/weve_got_it_good_food.php

[Albert S Miller]

Another fine article!!  I've always wondered what part of Seattle he lived in. Will be in Seattle to see "Bucket" on New Years Eve, might just have to check out one of  those great eateries, and the doughnut shop afterward.

[FunkyMonkey]

Duff McKagan: Merry Christmas

Posted Dec. 23 at 9:53 pm by Duff McKagan

Life just seems to get too damn busy sometimes. I try to take a deep breath in the morning and not take myself too seriously. I try not to get too caught up in all of the crap that just doesn't matter. My work is very important to me, but at what cost? We all deal with things we'd rather not at our workplace. Sure, we try to shake it all off our boot-soles before we come home, but do we succeed? My family is most important, but do I give them enough of my time? Enough of my patience? This is the time of year that I like to slow it all down and take stock of my year and my life. This is also the time of year that I get real thankful for the health and well-being of my kids. When I hear a story like the one I am about to share, I just want to kick myself for "sweating the small stuff" . . . life is indeed a treasured thing.

In Seattle, I live a mere stone's throw from Children's Hospital and Ronald McDonald House (across the street from Children's). Ronald McDonald House is a place for families to stay while their sick children are getting treatment. Most of these families have come from outside the area, as Children's is arguably the top pediatric hospital in the West. Most of these families have also given up everything in trade for the healthcare of their child. It is also often the last stop. RMH provides a roof and other measures of support, but make no mistake, it is not a place with frills. I have met a few of these parents over the years only because I live in the area. (Last summer I met a single dad from Yakima who was completely heartbroken and alone while his 9-year-old daughter was getting treated for cancer. I don't know what has happened with them, but I think about them often.) Living so close to RMH reminds you of things you don't want to think about, ever.

One of my sisters has worked at Sam's Club for the past 24 years. She is one of those people who intuitively uses great economy when speaking about others' lives; when she finally does have something to tell, it is always of substance. Two weeks ago, she told me of a newer employee at the Seattle Sam's Club whose name is Roger Linn. Roger and his wife have five kids and have moved here from Montana. Their oldest daughter, Ashley, has leukemia and is being treated with aggressive chemotherapy at Children's Hospital. The Linns reside at Ronald McDonald House so that they can all be here while Ashley gets treatment. This is their second stint in Seattle.

Back in 2004, Ashley was experiencing a lot of pain, but her parents were told by a doctor that she was only being "rebellious" and that the pain was in fact all in her head. After seeing a few more doctors, she was found to have leukemia (cancer of the white blood cells) and underwent five blood transfusions. Things got bad fast. On Christmas Eve 2004, the Linns flew to Seattle to get emergency treatment for Ashley at Children's, and set up their first residency at RMH. Roger kept his job and their house in Montana, making as many trips as he could out here. Word got out in Montana that the Linn household was often vacant and the house was robbed (everything being stolen). Ashley, meanwhile, suffered full paralysis.

Ashley now had to deal not only with chemotherapy for leukemia, but also physical therapy for paralysis. Ashley's illness, however, went into remission and the paralysis ebbed. While she still suffered tremors in the right side of her body, leukemia was out of the picture, and the family moved back to Montana. (Ashley taught herself to write with her left hand).

I wish this was the end of the story, but sadly it isn't. Ashley's fight with leukemia is back, and the Linns are back. Roger decided that this time he wanted the whole family together. He has been a longtime Sam's Club employee in Montana, and there was an opening at the store here. Roger's paychecks go to pay the mortgage back in Montana and little else. The Linns are very grateful for RMH. I just can't imagine the stress that must fill that place, living among other families with dire concerns, many of whom have given up everything in pursuit of health for their broken child. On top of all this, Ashley is now experiencing tremors in her left side too.

When my sister told me this story, I instantly thought of writing about it for Christmas, and leaving an address to which we could all send a little money for the Linns. When I told Roger about my idea, he plainly stated "There are a lot more people that have it worse off than us." While he was more than happy to talk to me about Ashley (and the rest of his kids!), he directed me to the side of this story where hope sits, not despair. His steady voice depicts a man whose family has cleared the clutter out of their lives and are now focused on the important stuff. . . each other.

It is now Christmas Eve, and people are scurrying to get home or buy that last-minute present. Other people will be going out to get shit-faced at some bar. This is life and we are all in it. I too will be rushing around and focusing on what "I"(ve) got to get done for "Me"?although this year I will take a second to pray and meditate for the Linns. Maybe writing this article will inspire me to finally take the plunge and donate some of my time to Ronald McDonald House. This article does not really have a point or tidy conclusion, but hopefully it will inspire some of us to gather up an extra coat and some blankets for a homeless shelter or buy a turkey for a mission. Maybe we could just take a second to think about others that may have it worse off than us. Be safe tonight and Merry Christmas.

[Layne Staley's Sunglasses]

I hate it when innocent children have to suffer.

[Albert S Miller]

I hate it when innocent children have to suffer.

It's one of the saddest things, I agree, I am thankful for these hospitals such as Childrens and I myself am a strong supporter of St. Judes Childrens Research Center founded by Danny Thomas, who is Marlo Thomas's dad (That Girl) an old sitcom, needless to say many of these children wouldn't stand of chance without these great hospitals and their sponsors.

[FunkyMonkey]

Random Thoughts (and experiences) of 2008

Posted yesterday at 7:59 pm by Duff McKagan


I really don't have a "tidy conclusion of 2008" column anywhere in me. Really, I think I ceaselessly strive for my life to have soft edges as opposed to sharp corners, but it just never works out that way. Instead of actually writing some sort of year-end wrap up, I thought of maybe just blurting out some random things that this year has perhaps influenced in my thought processes.

?Don't smoke crack: This stuff, while maybe getting you off for a few moments, really wreaks havoc on those around you. Enough said on that.

?Write a weekly column: Especially one where you may get instant feedback from readers. This experience for me has been nothing short of spectacular. Firstly, coming up with a weekly topic that others may find interesting is tougher than it may seem, but has kept me on my toes?stimulating, I should say. Secondly, reading feedback to a point (or NON-point!) you are trying to get across really lets me into the mind of others... I especially like the hecklers. The Internet is a place where most of us can remain faceless and shameless!

 ?Call instead of text someone (better yet, meet for a fucking coffee! OMG): This past year has been "the year of the text" for me. I must agree that texting someone is generally OK, but only if you also TALK to this person (LMAO). I have seen people whom I have known for a long time become socially retarded as a direct result of relying on text-messaging to do all of their bidding. I do believe (IMO) that our younger generation may be headed toward some serious social difficulties as a consequence of this technological advancement. :-) Some of my friends have increasingly gotten better at communicating via text or e-mail, while their people skills have decreased at the same rate.

 ?Did you guys know there was a members-only sex club in Seattle? Loaded went down to check out a rehearsal place last weekend. The practice place was kind of tucked away in a cozy spot somewhere between, let's say, the Fisherman's Terminal and Safeco. While we were inside talking to the owners, they let us know that there was a "sex club" next door and to not be freaked out by all the cross-dressing semi-truck drivers coming in or out of that place. Sounds like I found the perfect place for me and the Loaded fellas to celebrate New Year's!!

 ?Go climb a mountain: Well, that is my goal for this next year, anyway. I was offered a spot to climb Rainier for this coming July and I just may finally do it! That fuckin' thing has been looking at me since I can remember.

 ?Require politicians to read world history before they commit us to war and such: If old George W. had simply read a few history books about tribal warfare in the Middle East, he may have thought twice before stating that "The Iraqi people are perfectly able to govern themselves." Tribal warfare has been going on in that region since before the time of Jesus, and Saddam was just one of a long line of despots who have ruled with an iron fist in that part of the world. I do agree that Saddam and his sons were wicked bastards and should have gotten everything that was coming their way, I just wish a wider berth had been given to the IDEA of a mixed-religion Iraqi senate with real power back before we decided to invade. There was lip-service paid to the defeated Iraqi army that they would have work?that never happened either, and those legions got pissed waiting around, etc. . .

 ?Give Peace a Chance: Is anybody with me?!

 ?Don't hear about Paris Hilton and the rest of the Hollywood brat-pack at all this next year: Again, is anybody with me?

 ?Seattle sports teams on the rise! Well, there is actually nowhere our teams can go BUT up after this past dismal season of darkness. Think of it like this: Get the Seahawks back in the playoffs (totally doable in our crappy division). Get the Mariners in wild-card position (or get us fans to believe that they could get there in yet another year). Get the Huskies to beat ANYBODY! If we achieve any of these things, we will be BACK!

 ?Seattle is voted Most Literate City in America: This poses a most obvious question: What in the hell is a guy like me doing with a column in the SEATTLE Weekly if this is indeed true?!

 ?Go see the Gutter Twins: I was afforded this opportunity last September in Spain and it was an almost religious experience. It is not very often these days for me to be completely awed by a band or artist, so I am completely pleased when it finally does happen. The Gutter Twins are not something you can quite put your finger on musically, they are just equal parts "kick-ass" all the way around!

 ?Guilty(ish) Pleasure of '08: Shiny Toy Guns and their single "Ricochet."

 ?We elected a President with pecs: When is the last time women have been all aflutter over a politician? I came downstairs the other morning and my mother-in-law was freaking out over a news piece they had just run on Obama on the beach in Hawaii. I saw the piece a little later that same day. I think gym memberships probably saw a spike that day. This will serve as a notice to all you malcontent nations out there?our Prez can beat up yours!

 ?Don't parody Barack: He CAN kick your ass!

 ?Flight of the Conchords new season: I was never a TV watcher until TiVo and never generally gave much weight to wasting my time watching crappy swill (just think of all the Melrose Place, Friends, and Dynasty episodes I missed!). Nowadays, however, TiVo has got me hooked on all kinds of good TV: The Office, 30 Rock, Entourage, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Dexter, and yes, a new season of Flight of the Conchords starting in a couple of weeks! Also, try out Spectacle with Elvis Costello on IFC.

 ?GO AWAY! That is, travel someplace for once in your life. Flights have never been cheaper and the dollar is still quite strong in South and Central America. Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro are two places I highly recommend. Hey, who could go wrong with two places in which the Ramones were bigger than Bon Jovi.

 ?Learn to put up a windmill: If you got the skills to build these new power providers, the "New Deal"-like programs of the Obama administration could keep you working for about the next 20 or 30 years. If that fails, try to get one of those bonuses they're passing around at those financial institutions that we all just bailed out.

 ?Look forward to the future! OK, so we all have borne witness to a pretty awful eight years of Bush policies. We have also all seen this credit crisis throw us into a recession that is shaping up to resemble the one we had back in the early '80's. (Seattle is in MUCH better shape now than it was then. Downtown looked like a ghost town.) It will probably get worse before it gets better, but it WILL get better. I am confident that President-elect Obama is "the smartest guy in the room" and will apply lessons from history. We have got the best guy for the job. Now, if he could do something to get an NBA team back here in Seattle.

 
Happy New Year!

[Jim Bob]

Happy New Year Duff!

[D]

It is truly amazing how much Duff has turned it around since the GNR days. I watched my Tokyo DVD's the other day and Duff looked like a bloated corpse. now the dude is in amazing shape and very articulate.

The members only sex club

Jim Bob, Do u have one of those?

[IzzyDutch]

I checked out that track Ricochet here: http://www.myspace.com/shinytoyguns

When the chorus kicks in, that guy's voice reminds me of Duff a bit

[Smoking Guns]

It is truly amazing how much Duff has turned it around since the GNR days. I watched my Tokyo DVD's the other day and Duff looked like a bloated corpse. now the dude is in amazing shape and very articulate.

The members only sex club

Jim Bob, Do u have one of those?

HAHAHA, cool write up by Duff for sure.  Jim Bob may be the president.  Duff is a cool dude for sure!

[FunkyMonkey]

Man's Best Friend

Posted today at 7:47 pm by Duff McKagan

by Duff McKagan

It is safe to assume that, for the most part, we all love dogs. I can reasonably make this statement because the movie Marley and Me has been sitting atop the "highest gross" list now for the second week in a row. I am a dog owner, and have been for pretty much my whole life. I would now like to share a few of my stories about my best friends.

Well, first off, I'd like to share a story about my daughters and the first movie that has actually made them cry. Over the holidays, my wife's mom comes and stays with us. This makes for good family time while also affording us a live-in babysitter. The other night we all went out to the movies. Susan and I went into one movie (Valkyrie) while her mom took the girls in to see Marley and Me. Valkyrie got out earlier, so we sat and waited for the girls. It was quite a sight to see almost everyone come out of that movie with tears streaming down their faces, including my little girls. We all went out to dinner afterwards, and their tears didn't stop for a good half-hour. For any parent reading this, you will understand the complexity of trying to soothe your child while also observing them trying to deal with a new emotion. I understood enough to let this kind of "play out" instead of trying some "parent" explanation.

I had a yellow Labrador like Marley. Her name was Chloe. I got her just after GN'R finished Appetite for Destruction (1987). She was a gentle pup, and as a result I did not get her spayed. . . I couldn't bring myself to have a doctor do ANYTHING that would hurt her. Well, girls will be girls, and Chloe was no different. I didn't actually know the difficulties a dog will go through when they are in heat. Chloe actually broke down a fence to get out one night to the loving pants of a large black stud (I found this out only later from the looks of the pups. I never actually met the dog, that coward). Chloe not only got pregnant, but she had a huge litter of 14 puppies! Luckily for me, my older brother Matt had just started teaching at a large school in an affluent part of L.A., and helped me out by asking the kids if anyone wanted a new puppy. Done deal?we found nice homes for all the little guys.

Chloe was different after that. She transformed from a lively young lass to a kindly port grandma almost overnight. Now instead of lunging into the pool headfirst, she would just walk to the first step and wade there all day long, coming out only for her meals and naps. She would look at me as if to say, "I've had my puppies and now it is time to rest." She became a world-class rester after that.

My life was in a lot of turmoil during those times, what with touring, drugs, alcohol, a bad marriage, and more drugs. Chloe never held me accountable for all my shortcomings during this period. She was always just there for me. I would come home from a tour and she would be faithfully waiting at the front door (she would get really sad when she saw me pack my bags to leave again). When I got sick in 1994, an illness that actually brought sobriety, Chloe nursed me through it and rejoiced at the new and sober me. When I met my would-be wife Susan a couple years later, Chloe told me to stick this one out. Chloe loved Susan. When Susan got pregnant, Chloe hung by her side the whole term, literally (they were inseparable). When our first daughter was born, Chloe would stick close to the baby wherever she was. Chloe made a new bed right underneath the crib, and would gently play ball with Grace as she became a toddler. It was truly an astounding thing to witness. By the time we had our second daughter, Chloe was really slowing down. The veterinarian said that she had cancer of the liver and would have to operate. It was my turn to nurse Chloe. The old girl tried to hang in there for me as her pain was obviously getting worse and worse. I told her that I would be OK. I had to put Chloe down on a fall Monday morning in 2001. It was one of the worst days of my life and I miss her.

There is a saying that "with death comes rebirth." Our family's K-9 "rebirth" started a few years after Chloe passed when Grace started to pine for a pup of her own. Susan and I shook our heads "no" for a couple of years, but finally relented two Christmases ago. We travel a ton as a family, as well as splitting time between L.A. and Seattle. I had crated Chloe on flights enough times to know that it is simply no fun for the pets that must endure the shock. If we were to get our kids a dog, we would have to get one that could fly with us in the cabin. Of course this brought with it a dilemma?I am not the biggest fan of little yip-yap dogs. We started to pore through dog breed books, feeling ourselves getting excited again about the prospect of a new little guy in the house (it was decided that we would get a boy dog to at least try and even out the estrogen/testosterone ratio in Casa McKagan). Every small-dog breed we found, though, always had a warning about small children and the breed. That is, until we found a picture of a breed that we fell instantly in love with?the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel: They were reported to be great with kids and they don't "yip"!

So the next step was to go online and find some breeders up near where Santa lives (my loving daughters do at times read this column). Has anybody seen the movie Best in Show? Well, I came to find out that most of that film was straight depiction, as opposed to farce. Breeders of small dogs are freaky for sure! I would get pictures of a respective puppy dressed in a pink dress that matched their owner's, for instance. One breeder didn't have a computer and didn't know anybody who did, but I was more than welcome to meet her at the K-mart just outside of Granite Falls and follow her the 60 miles back to her farm. Listen, lady, I saw Deliverance! Luckily for us, Santa pulled through on Christmas morning. The girls went wild with excitement and instantly named our new dog Buckley after one of Santa's elves that they had e-mailed with on NORAD's "Santa Tracker" Web site the day before (Christmas Eve).

The adventures of Buckley and our family have already become legend in the just 26 months that he has been on this planet. His demeanor is as perfect as his food-getting tactics are coy. His marathon sleeps have been clocked in at nothing short of epic (on his back, spread eagle). His flatulence? Walloping! But more than all of this is that this little dude has brought so much joy to us while demanding nothing. He really is the perfect dog.

At this point I could go on and on about dogs. I have owned four in my life. I can easily see, writing this piece, how John Grogan wrote a whole book about life with Marley. The 1400 words that the Weekly gives me are nowhere near enough for me to even START to describe one full story about either dog I've written about herein. Jeez, I didn't even get to mention my first dog of 17 years, Moo (I may just have to write more on dogs!). I think dogs make this world a better place, and perhaps some of you do too.

[JMack]

Yes indeed Duff, been there done that and he couldn't be more on point.

[FunkyMonkey]

Duff McKagan: Out of the Armchair

Posted yesterday at 10:10 pm by Duff McKagan

A lot of you probably know my story. The drugs, the alcohol, the blah, blah, blah...boring right? Agreed. There are many different ways however, to come out of a funk like the one that I had. Some people go straight to rehab, some people church. Others to AA, and still many others...a pine box.

The severity of my particular malais placed me at a crossroads back in 1994 and luckily for me, fitness and a thirst for intellectual knowledge filled the void left by the blur of the 'fast lane'. So, for the last 14 or so years, I have tried to train my body like that of a professional athlete, at least how I THINK they train-although I have recently given up the dream of making the Seahawks (I did seriously contemplate going out for the Seattle U. baseball team when I was there recently. I could hear it now, "Now batting, 39 year-old rookie sophomore Duff McKagan"). My thirst for knowledge has lead me to a ton of reading, including many books on polar exploration (check out 'Endurance' by Alfred Lansing) and mountain climbing ('Touching the Void' by Joe Simpson).

I grew up in the Northwest and accordingly grew up doing my fair share of hiking. But hiking is NOT mountain climbing necessarily, and I've always wondered how I might stand up with crampons strapped to my feet and a 60-pound pack on my back?teeth to the wind and howling at the moon.

A few weeks back, a friend of mine asked if I would like to climb Tiger Mountain with him and another guy (I may reveal the names of these gentlemen in the upcoming months, but for now, they shall remain anonymous). Now, my friend is ridiculously fit and has been known to take the Seahawks secondary up Tiger for some ad hoc suffering (there was an article in the Times about my friend doing just this). I accepted my friends' offer to 'do' Tiger and he offered to pick me up at my house...at 5:30am. It was about 15 degrees up there that morning and it had been snowing all week and so there was no broken trail. With headlamps on, we proceeded up the mountain..FAST!

Now, I pride myself in being fit in a general sense. I work out pretty damn hard. I sweat like a 'whore in church' I am told- and that means that my cardio-vascular system is working pretty darn good..like a fuckin' Ferrari I tell myself. Or a broken down '71 Ford Maverick. I am telling you, just when I thought I could hang with the big boys, my friend set this pace up Tiger that tested EVERYTHING that I had inside of me. Where he looked like Robo-Cop, I looked like Jerry Lewis in the 'Nutty Professor'. Where he climbed with style, I was grabbing for branches and tearing shrubs out just to get a handhold. But finally we made it to the top and I was hooked.

At this point, friend #2 takes over for the downward trip...SPRINTING! If any of you have tried running down a VERY steep and VERY slippery mountain, you may know of what I speak when I say...this sucks. Not only were my legs burning to the core then from the actual run, but also 2 days later I could not even walk!

When my girls asked me why I was going to bed at 10 on New Year's Eve, I replied that I was getting up early to climb again. "But Daddy, they INJURED you last time". The 3 of us dudes climbed Tiger again on New Year's Day. On the summit this time though we stopped to actually talk for a minute. The idea of a climb up Mt. Rainer was thrown around with my name included. "Aren't you sick of just LOOKING at that thing Duff? Isn't it time to climb it?" I nodded yes, not really thinking of the perplexity of getting ready for the whole thing.

I have a friend down here in LA whom some of you may know from the Discovery show 'Everest'. He was dubbed 'Biker' Tim for the show. This guy is straight-up hardcore. Tim got in a real bad motorcycle accident a few years ago that required the surgeon's to put a steel cage around his lower spine and to fuse his left ankle. Tim somehow took this as his sign to start his career in climbing and has climbed Everest since as well as now guiding clients of his own up gnarly peaks around the world. I made the mistake of telling Tim that I may be climbing Rainer this summer. "Killer man, you can be my training partner down here in California". Tim is preparing to climb the Lhotse face next to Everest in a couple of months. I did mention to you readers that I have only climbed Tiger twice thus far, right?

I am a true alcoholic, and as such, I have never really backed down from anything. Whether it is good for me or bad, I want it ALL and I want it NOW! Tim and I did our first 'training' climb last week. Tim told me that we would be going up Mt. Baldy and I chuckled as we drove to the mountaineering store the day before. Anything in Southern California has got to be a cakewalk compared to Tiger, right? As I was getting fitted out for boots (a REAL bad idea the day before a climb), the salesman asked where we were going. When he informed me that Baldy was over 10,000 feet and the third highest mountain in California, I felt my butt pucker just a smidgeon. Oh shit, I've done it again.

The next morning I went to pick him up. Tim assured me that everything would be fine and that the crampons and rope that we were to bring were only precautionary " at best" he said. He pulled out two big climbing packs and filled mine with all the heavy stuff..well, at least it felt that way. On our way to the mountain, he explained some of the finer points of climbing in the snow and ice. When we arrived, he demonstrated a 'self arrest' with his ice axe. I didn't really pay attention because I DIDN'T HAVE AN ICE AXE TO ARREST MYSELF WITH! (Note to self: get one of those.)

In the first 10 minutes of our climb, I could feel the blisters rising on the back of each heel. After an hour, my feet were so raw that I couldn't actually feel the pain THERE anymore. I COULD however feel the pain everywhere else...but we tread on in a silence only broken by my wheezing and Tim's Ipod blaring TLC's 'Waterfall' through his ear buds.

A very interesting thing happened about 4 hours into the climb; everything turned to sheer ice..and JUST as we got on a really steep part of the mountain. One slip here and you are curtains. Tim told me to stop (I was frozen with fear as it was!). Tim put his crampons on and gingerly slipped around to where I was, he then told me to sit down. He put on my crampons for me (I had never worn them before, remember, two times up Tiger?)  Tim looked me straight in the eyes and said that this pretty much separates the men from the boys and I wondered where I fit in in that equation. Once I found purchase with those crampons though, I practically flew up that mountain and out of the 'danger zone'. Tim held me back from summiting by 300 feet, saying that we would lose daylight. I could feel a little of what it must feel like to want to keep climbing no matter the risk. I turned as he instructed and we made it down safely, albeit in the dark. I WILL be back to summit.

If you see some tall, freaky, tattooed guy with a weighted backpack, climbing hills in your neighborhood, that could be me training for my next climb. Or, it could just be some unlucky bastard who looks like me!

[makane]

Cool.

I definitely need to try that later on...

[Albert S Miller]

The guy just never ceases to amaze me, I was just checkin out the illusions videos today, he was such a mess at that point, today he is climbing mountains, who'd of thought?

[lynn1961]

The guy just never ceases to amaze me, I was just checkin out the illusions videos today, he was such a mess at that point, today he is climbing mountains, who'd of thought?

Really.  And he writes a damned good column too. 

[FunkyMonkey]

Duff McKagan: I'm All For a New Era of Responsibility

Posted yesterday at 7:03 pm by Duff McKagan

"What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility."

? President Barack Obama, Jan. 20, 2009

These words, spoken by President Obama on Tuesday, have thus far made me walk a little taller, taking stock of where this new weight of responsibility sits best in my gait. The air of change has been palatable in my family, on the streets, from city to city, and, I believe, the rest of the world.

From where I stand, my family appears to be what one may envision to be the average American family. My daughters are at the age when they are starting to be aware of what is going on in the world. This past election was a fun and inspiring ride for us McKagans, and Tuesday's Inaugural was much anticipated. My girls counted down the days and wondered aloud what the Obama girls would be wearing at the ceremony. My wife thinks Michelle Obama is the coolest and has just finished a biography on her. I must say I feel pretty good about having the Obama family as "example setters" for my wife and two girls. For me? I aspire to do whatever President Obama needs of me. I certainly couldn't have said this about any previous president (Clinton came into office when I was, let's say, retarded by outside substances).

As I watched the CNN broadcast of the Inauguration, many different strong images filled the TV screen: Dick Cheney addled to a wheelchair and about to take a VERY uncomfortable limo ride with his adversary and new VP, Joe Biden (I would have loved to be a "fly on the wall" there!). Obama's new Presidential car (dubbed "the Beast"), surrounded by the omnipresent Secret Service. Bush's last walk from the White House highlighted the ridiculousness of him even being there AT ALL! Two million people attending the ceremony on the National Mall gave weight to the importance of a needed sea-change.

Obama's speech was again a work of brilliance, even "in the midst of a crisis now understood." At a time of economic downturn, our troops abroad and this most recent crisis in the Middle East, Obama addressed the "gathering clouds and raging storms...sapping our confidence." He also rather pointedly scoffed at the Bush administration and the wearing-thin of its political "dogma... rejecting as false the choice between our safety and our ideals." Pretty heady and ballsy stuff indeed. Obama talked about global warming and talked TO world leaders who blame their problems on the West. I think it was just as important HOW he worded the things that he said. Obama's articulation of speech not only ensures us voters that we have the "smartest guy in the room," it also has a manner of steadfastness that will, I believe, garner respect from other world leaders ready to perhaps pounce on a weakness.

I received a couple of startlingly different e-mails from two friends after the speech. "GOBAMA!" friend #1 says, "What a great fucking speech. I love the toughness and emphasis on acting like a grown-up. And it's such a relief to again have a president who is not afraid to be articulate in his speeches." The second friend went in another direction completely. "Eeek!" he stated. "Lofty emotionalism with no depth. Going further into debt to stave off debt? I don't need pep rallies; I need to know exactly how you're going to manage our many crises. Government trying to fix problems that they created is just ironic...RON PAUL in 2012!"

I could have pointed out to friend #2 that an Inauguration is not the place that a president would actually state his exact plan to manage "our many crises," and that it is actually more of a "pep rally" than anything else. Also, Roosevelt actually saved this country just 70 years ago by creating more initial debt with his New Deal.

The difference between these two e-mails I think highlights more about the way we choose to look at the future than maybe any facts that we have to go on about it. We have some pretty hearty work in front of us as a nation. It is our right to criticize our politicians, for sure, but perhaps right now we would all be better off if we tried to see the "right" in Obama's plan before we just shoot them down or go chanting "Ron Paul in 2012!".

I for one have been an Obama supporter since day number one. He is a guy that is just plain smart in my opinion. People who have read my column have criticized me about my support being too "blind," and maybe they are right. But I have never seen our country in such a hard spot as it is now, and I think only intelligence will get us out and move us forward and upward. Intellect will be able to understand monetary and fiscal complexities. Intellect also knows the history of age-old tribal warfare in the Middle East. Intellect understands that we are in a global economy while also realizing that we have mountains of economic troubles within our borders. Hey, Obama even sees that college football needs a playoff system put in place. Now THAT is smart!

As a father, I feel a bit more secure today with Obama as our President. As a world traveler, I feel a bit more dignified to be an American. As a citizen of the world, I am a bit more proud of what humanity is capable of. America may indeed be united as it never has been before.

When my girls got home from school on Tuesday, my youngest went straight to her room. Upon my checking on her, she informed me that she was writing a letter to President Obama and another to Michelle Obama. But the important one was to be addressed to Malia and Sasha Obama. "I am going to tell THEM what their Dad should do as President." Don't tell the rest of the world this, but Daddies will do what their daughters ask of them, and that is for sure.

[kobys]

It seems like people are looking at Obama as some kind of miracle worker when in truth he doesn't even have that much political experience. Afterall, he was only a junior senator. What really gets me is that at the beginning of the campaign Biden said he wouldn't support Obama for president because he didn't think that he had enough experience. But boy when Obama asked him to be his running mate he accepted immediately. Obama has a very tough job to do and I wish him the very best luck.

[MeanBone]

Duff continues to give me the best time reading his column.

GOBAMA!!!

[lynn1961]

Duff continues to give me the best time reading his column.

GOBAMA!!!

I agree. Another great article.  I love how his kids are involved, as well.