Duff McKagan's Column In Seattle Weekly

[FunkyMonkey]

 

In addition to his regular column every Thursday, Duff McKagan will write about what's circulating through his iPod (complete with an embedded player on the Seattle Weekly site to listen to the songs)

I've Been Listening to Iggy, Sly, and ZZ Top

By Duff McKagan Monday, Aug. 31 2009

​ZZ Top, "Jesus Just Left Chicago": Any of y'all wanna get schooled on some good old kick ass shuffle blues and hear what slowhand rock guitar sounds like? Well, just download this song.

Iggy and Stooges, "I Got A Right": Search out this Iggy pop/James Williamson recording first and be astounded. This is how trash and roll sounds, ladies and germs.

Sly & the Family Stone, "If You Want Me To Stay": This song epitomizes what groove and funk are all about at their primal best. Larry Graham is one bad motherf*cker here and this song showcases Sly and his Family Stone at their very best. KILLER.

Hear all three tracks after the jump. See you back here on Thursday.

http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/reverb/2009/08/ive_been_listening_to_iggy_sly.php

[FunkyMonkey]

My Records of the 1970s

By Duff McKagan

Thursday, Sep. 3 2009

Being the youngest of eight kids exposed me to a LOT of music that my older brothers and sisters were listening to at any given point during my youth. Some of my earliest memories are of leafing through album covers like the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Jimi Hendrix's Axis: Bold as Love, or the day-glo orange Don and the Goodtimes record.

It was in the '70s, however, when I first started to have my own musical awareness--a sense of identifying my "self" inside the songs of a particular band. The '70s bore witness to a mighty sea change in musical tastes. From the epicness of Led Zeppelin and the dirtiness of Aerosmith sprang the coming of the Ramones and punk rock. The '70s seemed also to bring an antagonistic dividing line between urban and suburban--disco and rock--that seemingly only the mighty Prince was finally able to erase.

All I knew, however, was that there was music I loved, some I didn't, and some I outright despised. (No need to bring up what my teenage dislikes were. I was a kid, and I truly felt like my opinion was the last word in cool back then!)

For me, the '70s was when I saw my first rock concerts and first all-ages punk shows. I saw Aerosmith tour their album Rocks at the Kingdome, as well as Zeppelin's last Seattle show at the same venue. I saw Cheap Trick, Ted Nugent, KISS, and countless others at the now defunct Coliseum (now KeyArena). When punk rock hit Seattle, I started my indoctrination in what good local music was all about, as well as hearing touring national and international bands. From the Cheaters and Telepaths to the Avengers, Black Flag, DOA, and X, the '70s seemed to have it all. Will we ever see another decade quite like the '70s? It's hard to say, but one thing is for sure . . . I am going to continue our discussions from the last few weeks and put up another of my lists. This time, however, it will be centered around the great decade of the '70s.

As I have stated prior to previous lists: This is by no means my be-all, end-all list--just a conversation starter.

ABBA, ABBA (Greatest Hits): Anyone who is or has been a songwriter will surely testify to the song-craftsmanship that makes up the basis of ABBA. Golden and blissful sounds of the '70s.

Mot?rhead, Ace of Spades: When these guys first hit the scene late in the decade, hardcore rock fans finally found a safe place that would shepherd them through the confusion found a few years later in the rock '80s (except for GN'R . . . of course!).

ZZ Top, Tres Hombres: Kick-ass American blues from down Texas way. Yeah, I know that I've pimped these guys a lot lately . . . but I really can't say enough about just how great they were and are.

Led Zeppelin, anything: These guys put a soundtrack to my life not only in the '70s, but also now and again to my life now. Seeing these guys at the Kingdome was definitely one of the true rock moments that I have drawn upon in my professional life. I couldn't possibly say enough about the rhythm section of John Paul Jones and John Bonham. Shit, man, when Bonham's drum solo started, I smoked a joint, went to the hot dog line, waited in the line, got my hot dog, came back to my seat, and ATE my hot dog, and Bonham was STILL doing his drum solo! Perhaps not as eloquent as a picture as I was trying to portray here, but funny nonetheless!

Aerosmith, Rocks, Draw the Line, Toys in the Attic, et al.: I remember looking through an Encyclopedia Britannica back in '73 or so, and seeing that Aerosmith was America's answer to the Rolling Stones. Maybe this was an over-simplistic explanation of who they were at the time, but it certainly got me into what was to become a fascination with early Aerosmith.

Thin Lizzy, Dedication (The Very Best of Thin Lizzy): Oh, Rosalie! I really, really love this band. A couple of years ago when I was in Dublin on tour with VR, I stumbled out of my hotel one morning in search of some coffee. As I took a sleepy turn to my left, I ran smack into a life-size bronze statue of singer Phil Lynott. When I got back to the hotel lobby, the desk manager asked me if I saw the statue of "de goy prom Tin Lizzy?" Indeed I had.

Bad Company/Free, anything: Paul Rodgers sang his first Free song at the age of 16, I just found out the other day. 16! Both these bands should be a staple in anyone's CD collection.

Badfinger, anything: A magical band with a tragic ending. Some say that Badfinger was cursed, others say the Beatles wrote their songs for them. Whatever . . . they were really great.

The Sweet, anything: "Desolation Boulevard" and "Action" are the blueprint of rock fantasy.

Sex Pistols, Never Mind the Bollocks: A record that changed the way we all thought about rock music.

The Clash, The Clash: A band for the people, by the people. This band took the mystery and untouchable-ness out of the equation for fans like me.

The Ramones, anything: Do I really have to say anything at all?

Prince, : The end of the '70s gave reign to a new king, and his name was Prince Rogers Nelson. Once in a while, a true musical visionary is born.

AC/DC, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap: Along with the Saints and Radio Birdman, AC/DC kicked our asses from all the way Down Under!
The Germs, (GI): After the Pistols, the Germs took punk music to another level and hardcore was born.

Earth, Wind and Fire, anything: Another band that really gave the '70s a soundtrack.

KISS, Alive!: She's a Capricorn and I'm a Cancer!

Cheap Trick, Cheap Trick at Budokan: Maybe the best live record ever.

Ted Nugent, Ted Nugent: Actually the ONLY Terrible Ted record I own, and it's a classic, if you ask me.

OK, so these are just a few of my favorites. As we've done in the past few weeks, please write in with comments or additions.

http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/reverb/2009/09/my_records_of_the_1970s.php

[FunkyMonkey]

Seattle Weekly extra...

I've Been Listening to NIN, Slipknot, and The Raconteurs

By Duff McKagan in Duff McKagan, I Heard This

Tuesday, Sep. 8 2009 @ 9:54AM

The Raconteurs. In addition to his regular column every Thursday, Duff McKagan will write about what's circulating through his iPod every week.
​1) Slipknot, "Prelude 3.0," Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses): A dark and beautiful epic song that showcased the power that Slipknot was then getting accustomed to and actually toying with.

2) The Raconteurs, "Level," Broken Boy Soldiers: I saw the Dead Weather a couple of weeks ago, and that led me to revisit this most excellent other, OTHER band of Jack White's. This dude is just a plain FIGURE these days, and "Level" is a mesmerizing piece of cool.

3) Nine Inch Nails, "1,000,000," The Slip: I got to see these guys twice on this last tour, and this song is, out of all the great songs they played, the one that inevitably got stuck in my head for a week at a time. Songwriting and sound-crafting genius.

http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/reverb/2009/09/ive_been_listening_to_nin_slip.php

[FunkyMonkey]

My City, My Sports

By Duff McKagan Thursday, Sep. 10 2009 @ 3:08PM

I may be narrowing my audience this week by stating that this time of year is my absolute favorite in the world of sports. My world is admittedly provincial, and that is OK. I am from Seattle, and at no time in all my moving around have I ever pulled for a team outside this area. I'm a "homer," as we are called in the U.S. I could open up a whole new area for you U.K. readers by stating that I pull for Arsenal when I am over there and the mood hits. Why Arsenal? Kick-ass name, is all.

For the past five or six weeks, I have made music lists, and I could sense that this angle was becoming a bit stale and used up--for you the reader, and also for me. I will bring those lists in again from time to time, but for now, let's get into some sports!

Before I begin in earnest, I have to come clean on something I said last year--I stated that I thought Fantasy Football was geeky and served no purpose. Don't get me wrong, my feelings toward FF are the same, but I am now in a league this year. Jerry Cantrell would not take no for an answer, and I now have a team on this year's Alice in Chains/ESPN Charities League. You can log on and root for my team . . . or Zakk Wylde's . . . or Vinny Paul's . . . or Mike Inez's . . . or Kenny Wayne Shepherd's, or whoever else's. Just know that my 13-year-old nephew picked my team, and he is more plugged in to FF than ANY of these hairy rockers! Hey, it IS for a good cause!

This time of year has a bit of everything. College football is just getting started, and the USC/Ohio State game is already upon us. Major League Baseball is nearing the end of the season, and all the divisional races are heating up. The NFL season is finally upon us. Since I was about 6 years old, this week of the year has had an almost Christmas-like feel. So how do our local teams look?

Mariners: We are finally a team who can beat any other on any given night. I really like some of our mid-to-late season pick-ups. We finally got a real utility player in Bill Hall, who could drive in a lot of runs for us next year. Anaheim doesn't look to be going anywhere soon, but if we can get the Rangers out of the way next season, we have a REAL chance at a wild-card berth. Let's hope we can keep Felix and add some pitching. Lopez, Ichiro, Branyan, Gutierrez, and Langerhans are great in our everyday lineup. Oh, yeah . . . and Wilson! Aardsma is a great closer! To next year's M's!!!

Sonics: Oh, yeah . . . fuck you, Clay Bennett and Commissioner Stern!

Huskies Football: Last week's 31-23 loss to LSU showed me a few things. The Huskies are again believing in a head coach and his system. It has been too long. I was fired up to see our guys hitting, and hitting HARD. Sarkisian and his staff have brought hope to Seattle and hope to this failing Huskies program. I grew up in the Don James era. Anything close to that would be an amazing thing in these parts. I got a lot of "The Huskies are BACK" e-mails and texts after last Saturday's game. I guess we fans are buying into Sarkisian's system too.

Seahawks: It's hard to say what kind of team we have. I'm not one to get too excited about pre-season football, hence an undefeated exhibition season means practically nothing (admittedly, it is better than a WINLESS pre-season record, right?). Our D-line looks real good, but our D-backs scare me. Our offensive line has improved, but that is not saying a whole lot. Matt Hasselback has a plethora of receivers this year, and the addition of "Hoosh" may prove to pay lots of dividends. It seems as if this team has made a seamless transition into buying into new coach Jim Mora's program. The Hawks are my team, and I will be living and breathing every play again this year. Some have picked us to win our division, but after that? What do you guys think?

Sounders F.C.: All right, I am sorry to say that I am just not there yet. I played two years of soccer back in the '70s because I had a good friend who wanted me to play on his team. I was more the football/basketball/baseball guy. Because I played soccer in the '70s, I was aware that Seattle had just got a major-league team, and that Pel? was coming to town with his New York Cosmos (Pel? had passed his prime in places where his skill mattered, but we in America were absolutely thrilled by this phenom). The Sounders were always that other team that employed college players and others. Now it's suddenly Sounders F.C. everywhere you look. Games are selling out at Qwest, and people are talking about the club and its fans all over this country. When I travel, inevitably someone will come up to me and say, "Oh, you are from Seattle. How 'bout those Sounders!?" I mumble something about missing the boat, etc . . .

So that's it. It's that time of year when a lot of sports stuff is happening all at once. My girls will try to change the channel on me this weekend. But I am bigger than them, and have a multitude of tactics to sway them to another activity. Maybe I will tie my credit card to the end of a kite and float it out in the backyard for the weekend. They will get their exercise AND think there is a chance of going to the mall. Or I'll simply tell them that some 11- and 12-year-old boys are coming over to watch. That'll send them to their rooms in a hurry.

http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/reverb/2009/09/my_city_my_sports.php

[FunkyMonkey]

Seattle Weekly extra...

I've Been Listening to Faces, Generation X, and The Adolescents

By Duff McKagan

Monday, Sep. 14 2009

​The Adolescents, "L.A. Girl," The Adolescents: This was the first song I heard that opened my eyes to what O.C. punk was and what it was to become. Little things (like the use of the ride cymbal) were almost ground-breaking for punk music at the time. This song and this record have stood the test of time.

Faces, "Stay With Me," Best of the Faces: This band at its height was arguably the best rock band ever. Last year, I got totally re-inspired as a bass player and started studying classic bassists like John Paul Jones, Duck Dunn, James Jamerson, and, wait for it . . . Ron Wood. He played bass on a lot of these tracks, and it's really tasty stuff. If you've yet to get into the Faces, do so with this excellent best-of collection.

Generation X, "Day By Day," Generation X: One of the most frantic and well-written pop songs of the '70s. The prowess of the actual band (yes, the BAND, not just Billy Idol) is something that is used as a reference by many good producers when making a record, and they want more energy out of their band. "Day By Day" has the best guitar, bass, and drum tones since the Who, which is saying a lot, especially back then.

http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/reverb/2009/09/ive_been_listening_to_faces_ge.php

[FunkyMonkey]

Seattle Weekly extra...

I've Been Listening to Curtis Mayfield, OutKast, and The Soundtrack of Our Lives

By Duff McKagan

Monday, Sep. 21 2009

OutKast, "Prototype," The Love Below: A playful soul song that highlights how good of a songwriter Andre 3000 is and can be. I'm not really sure what has happened to OutKast since the release of Speakerboxxx/Love Below, but I want more like this, damn it. I like the slow jams.....

Curtis Mayfield, "Freddy's Dead," Superfly: Curtis Mayfield is sort one of the unsung heroes of the early '70s civil-rights movement. His social commentary by way of song painted a vivid picture of the black inner-city. "Freddy's Dead" is the best of the best.

The Soundtrack Of Our Lives, "Babel On," Communion (Disc 1): I saw these guys twice last summer in Germany. They are one inspirational band to see, whether you are a musician or a fan. "Babel On" is one of those songs that translates well in a digital arena or a intimate venue. Get both of these disks if you can.

http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/reverb/2009/09/ive_been_listening_to_curtis_m.php

[FunkyMonkey]

Racism: It's Not Just Online Anymore

By Duff McKagan

Thursday, Sep. 24 2009

As you might imagine, after writing for Seattle Weekly as long as I have, there are going to be comments that go against me or my topic. No problem. I am a big boy and have learned to deal with criticism, from my early days of playing punk rock when it wasn't so popular to being in a huge band starting in my early 20s. Writers, jocks, and certain fans have been criticizing me or my bands for the past 30 years! That is simply part of the deal. Ask Krist Novoselic about this sometime, and I am sure he would concur. Our careers have oddly mirrored one another, now being colleagues as writers and all. Damn, I am a parent and get criticized daily by my almost-teenage daughters. That is part of life.

I have always had a sort of unspoken motto and daily regimen. I try to clear my thoughts upon waking in the morning, to approach each day without the baggage of the day before. Life is just too short to act on day-old baggage. So here I am, a guy who from the outside may appear always to be looking on the bright side or some such thing. It's just that I try to get it right TODAY and not sweat what happened yesterday. Enough about me.

I have written about some of the darker comments I have received during my tenure here at the Weekly. I have commented on how people nowadays can get pretty damn brazen whilst hidden behind their computer. It is our new paradigm and dilemma. This last week, however, I have made comments back to a couple of people, either because I thought they were too insulting to the people who read and comment on my column, or because they were being racist and ignorant.

On Mondays, the Weekly releases an "I've Been Listening To . . ." feature that I do in which I talk about what's playing on my iPod. It is really just a forum for people to write in about music, with me simply starting the conversation. Music is something I like to write about because there is no downside. Art has no definition. I write on stuff that I like, and I like a TON of different stuff. If there is something I don't like, I don't write about it (see paragraph 2 above). I recently received a comment that was so racist and bigoted that it left me feeling bummed out and a bit mortified. I won't repeat it here, and it's since been deleted from my column.

In this day and age, with our youth having access to technology and information right at their collective fingertips, you would think that a broader diversity would hasten forward along with it. But there are always going to be creeps, I guess . . .

Before I get too off-topic here, I want to ask some of you what you think about diversity awareness. We here in America, at this point in our history, should have about one of everything (ethnicity, religion, bi/straight/homo, punk, hip-hop, right-wing, left-wing, etc) in your family-chain somewhere, right?

Racism and bigotry are by no means exhibited only on the Internet. Calls of right-wing racism are being heard daily now against factions of the Republican Party. I don't know about this, because I don't trust ANY partisan rhetoric these days. As for the Rush Limbaughs and Glenn Becks of the world calling Obama a racist, the one thing I can say is that Mr. Limbaugh is a wack-job who knows how to keep his frightened listeners dialed in to his show.

We all inhaled in dumbfounded astonishment a couple of years back when Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad proclaimed that there was no such "problem" as homosexuality in his country. Last Friday, he made his yearly statement that there was no such thing as the Holocaust. It simply didn't happen, according to him. It is a Jewish lie . . .

After the terror attacks of 9/11, many of us in America and Europe were so frightened and afraid that a widespread bigotry against ALL Muslims saw a sharp rise. Many of us were simply uneducated. Our worldview can at times be extremely skewed to the West. Education is key here, don't you think?

When President Bush and his advisers decided that it was a good idea to invade Iraq, I sure wish that someone in his cabinet would have read one of New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman's books on Middle Eastern conflict and tribal warfare, which has gone back to antiquity (From Beirut to Jerusalem or Longitudes and Attitudes). I think our soldiers deserve to be as well-prepared as possible. Education about the region they were about to invade should have been a larger part of their training. (As an aside, another great author on this subject is Dexter Filkins. I am reading The Forever War right now. It's fascinating and really eye-opening).

Oddly enough for me, at a back-to-school parent/teacher night I attended last Monday, I was delighted to listen to a talk given by the woman who leads the diversity program at the school. What I came away with was that my kids are getting the information they need that will keep them from being racially ignorant or ignorant of world religions. In my older child's middle school, they are covering the Middle East, apartheid, terrorism, and the Cold War and how it affected the Soviet people at the time. Heady stuff, yes, but I am pleased as can be that my child is getting a worldview at her young age.

Another teacher at the school highlighted that the kids will be covering Internet predators and the "cyber-bully" syndrome this year. Guest speakers will be coming in throughout the year. This is what our children have to deal with these days.

Anyhow, I am not quite sure if I have a clear and defining point this week--rather I am just sort of checking in and getting some things off my chest. If nothing else, I hope that some discourse will happen because of this week's subject matter. Thanks for reading . . .

-- Duff

http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/reverb/2009/09/racism_its_not_just_online_any.php

[FunkyMonkey]

On the Road. Again...

By Duff McKagan in Duff McKagan

Thursday, Oct. 1 2009

Here we go again. For those of you who are uninitiated with the trials and tribulations of my band Loaded, well, then, welcome to a new (to you at least) phase of my writing: the Tour Journal. For those of you who have been here before . . . well, you probably have already stopped reading. You see, things get pretty damn silly around this band when we go on tour.

Here's the deal:

1. I have been touring from my punk-rock halcyon days in the early '80s, when it was all so innocent, to the present. This is how fortune saw best for me to earn my way financially.
2. As we all know, work can suck sometimes.
3. As of late, I have tried to surround myself with musicians that make work less sucky while trying to push the envelope artistically.
4. My passion is and will always be music.
5. Passionate music doesn't always fill the coffers to the level you may like.
6. Life is short.
7. Loaded has a blast.
8. Loaded tours like I used to tour in my "punk-rock halcyon days":
a) few showers.
b) little sleep.
c) play every night.
d) eat like crap.
e) close proximity to other stinking men who reek of non-human smells.
f) full-on glamour.

We leave for the UK and Ireland on Monday for 20 days, and will be bringing new drummer Isaac Carpenter. You may know Isaac as that monstrous drummer from Loudermilk a few years ago, but I know him as a real nice dude with a wicked sense of humor. I hope he maintains that humor once we get a few days into touring and those aforementioned smells arise. I will be giving a weekly update on how it is going out there.

What is even more entertaining is that our guitarist, Mike Squires, will be tour-managing us AND editing our award-winning Loaded Webisodes on this trip. I have no doubt there will be a tipping point on this tour with Mike. He is an odd mixture of crazy artist, mad scientist, and wound-tight guy. I hope to exploit the wound-tight guy as much as possible and get a lot of this on video. It always makes for good TV. Check out our Webisodes at http://youtube.com/loadedlamf . Our newest edition, "Summer Tour," features Mike's new hit song, "Suck It."

For this week, as all of us live in different places, we are at our undisclosed rehearsal place somewhere on the Columbia River. This is a place we can come before a tour and really just sequester ourselves and do nothing but music. There is no TV or Internet, providing a much-needed break from the constant news cycle we humans are barraged by. We are going to play a show this Saturday at Chop Suey to put Isaac to the live test before we go. Come on down . . . I may have some new jokes.

Give a Little . . .

Last Saturday night in Los Angeles, I was honored to take part in a benefit concert for Gutter Twins bassist Scott Ford at the Roxy Theater. He, like many of my musical brethren, goes through life without basic health insurance. Along with the other necessities like rent, food, and schooling for his child, the weight of his financial burden has caused some wobbling in a few places. Scott got very sick this year, and was forced to take out a loan to pay for the first in a long series of surgeries that will hopefully get him better. Like me, Scott has a 12-year-old daughter, and has a lot to live for. He is one of the good guys.

The show featured a wide range of ?ber-talented musicians, and was a blast to be a part of. Among the highlights was watching Greg Dulli and Wayne Kramer do the Stooges' "Down on the Street" and AC/DC's "Hell's Bells," and Deep Purple alum Glenn Hughes doing "All Right Now" by Free. Fans and friends filled the venue that night, and I am continuously delighted by how generous people can be when they see that someone needs help. Rock fans are the most generous I have ever seen. But we have only scratched the surface as far as what Scott needs for further lifesaving medical needs. If you can help, please go to HYPERLINK "http://fordradio.blogspot.com/"http://fordradio.blogspot.com, where there is a PayPal account set up. Thank you!

Ahmadinejad

Wow. I'm not sure any of you caught the CNN/ Larry King interview with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, but it was very interesting to me with respect to how smart and prepared the Iranian President is. Now we all know that many or all of Larry's questions must first be approved by high-ranking political figures such as Ahmadinejad, but man . . . the dude knows how to answer a question with another question like nobody's business! It got very scary for me when the interview headed toward the Israeli/Iran nuclear arena. It seems that this conflict is indeed heating up, and I sure hope cooler and smarter minds somewhere are thinking of proposed resolutions. Scary stuff, indeed. May I suggest that we all read Kris and Brad Cox's comments on this very subject in this very column. The world NEEDS intelligent and enlightened people like these two. Stay tuned for that . . .

http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/reverb/2009/10/on_the_road_again.php

[FunkyMonkey]

The last two Seattle Weekly extras...

Duff McKagan: I've Been Listening to Gutter Twins, Spiritualized, and Visqueen's Message to Garcia
By Duff McKagan in Duff McKagan
Monday, Oct. 5 2009
http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/reverb/2009/10/duff_mckagan_ive_been_listenin_1.php

I've Been Listening to Parlor Mob, Tinted Windows, and Fear
By Duff McKagan in Duff McKagan
Monday, Sep. 28 2009
http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/reverb/2009/09/ive_been_listening_to_parlor_m.php

[FunkyMonkey]

Saying Goodbye, Pete Doherty (Naked), and a Good Book or Two

By Duff McKagan in Duff McKagan

Thursday, Oct. 8 2009

As I stated last week, my band Loaded is back on tour and back in the UK, where we have been reasonably well received this year. We have a new drummer, Isaac Carpenter, who has never been to Europe or the UK...cool.

I knew there was something I liked about Isaac other than his incredible musicianship. I flew here from L.A. while the rest of the band flew in from Seattle. (I arrived hours after them.) I asked Isaac how his first transatlantic flight was, and he replied that he was teary the whole flight because he watched It's a Wonderful Life and Good Will Hunting on the trip. It's a Wonderful Life is my all-time favorite movie, which in itself probably speaks volumes about my imagined romantic ideals. We are on a ferry now from Scotland to Northern Ireland, and Isaac and I are unashamedly discussing the pros of The Notebook.

On Isaac's first morning in London, he noticed a naked and blanketed drunk man falling off a tour bus down near where our gear was to be picked up (a semi-famous rehearsal and storage facility named John Henry's). The naked man then got into a cab with two ladies. Isaac realized it was none other than Pete Doherty. A good first day in England, I would say. Definitely something to write home about.

Because I am such a romantic, it makes it that much harder, I suppose, for me to be away from my family. My daughters understand and are used to it, and also know how hard it is for me. The day before I left, they were extra-clingy to me because they know that my heart aches. Our dog, Buckley, always tries to sneak into my bag.

I left notes this time for my girls. In these notes are a series of geographical questions that they must answer back to me via e-mail. These questions will, I hope, give them a sense of where on this planet I am, and therefore help quell the mystery of where I am calling from at odd hours. The extra bonus on these questions is that they will receive hidden presents that are stashed around the house. They are super-excited, and my wife says it's a BIG hit. I slept better last night knowing that they are thinking about where I am.

I always have a book with me, and I just started Jon Krakauer's new book, Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman. Krakauer has thankfully filled the shoes of the late and amazing fiction writer Stephen Ambrose, at least in my humble opinion. I just love how this guy writes and the depth to which he probes his subject matter.

Last week, I finished Dexter Filkins' The Forever War, an amazing and dismal look at the problems that are now facing the people of Iraq and our U.S. forces there. It's a perfect companion book to Thomas Friedman's Longitudes and Attitudes.

Well, we just finished our first show of the trip here in Belfast, Ireland (or United Kingdom, which is officially what it is called). This town holds a special place in Loaded's heart, as this town has seemed to really hoist our band upon their collective shoulders over the past year. I marvel at the history of the troubles that went on here until just a few years ago. Some of the neighborhoods' curbs are still painted either blue or red to signify the religious dividing line that until recently cast a deadly pall over this area. A bit like Iraq right now, as a matter of fact. Isn't it funny how our leaders fail so miserably to learn from so recent a history lesson?

A strange new attitude has seemed to arise since I was here last year. At our meet-and-greet after our show last night, I got into a conversation with some people that turned somewhat sociopolitical. Compared to the worldwide euphoria of last year's hopes about where the U.S. was heading with President Obama at the helm, there is now a palpable sneer, at least with the people I spoke to here in Belfast. Interesting.

My daughters called me tonight, and are getting mani/pedis with their mom. It feels real nice to be needed by my three women. My dog, Buckley, had a play date with two other dogs today. I played a gig and slept in the bus bunk. 19 days 'til home. 19 days of pure rock and humor with the fellas. Life is definitely an adventure.

http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/reverb/2009/10/saying_goodbye_pete_doherty_na.php

[FunkyMonkey]

Touring Around the UK Without My Vision Again

By Duff McKagan in Duff McKagan

Thursday, Oct. 15 2009

A couple of weeks back I finally got Lasik surgery for my eyes, and it was like magic. Where before I could not see up close or far away without glasses, after the surgery I could suddenly see all without the assistance of eyeglasses. Cool! However, in these first few weeks, I was forewarned that from day to day, my vision may get blurry and/or sharpen up. Today it is completely blurry.

This week, I feel as if I have nothing really to write about, so I will just sort of let the words flow and see what happens. It's not as if I haven't been doing anything, though. I am on a rock tour through the UK, and therefore have been in a different city every day. As I write from the top lounge of our tour bus this morning, I am looking out over the English Channel from Portsmouth. Portsmouth is where the D-Day attack was launched on June 6, 1944. I am a WWII fanatic, so this is pretty cool. Later today, after my two hours of phone interviews to Brazil, I will try and visit the war museum here before soundcheck.

The gigs over here have been great for us. Our fan base over here is pretty hardcore, and they seem to understand our wry and brash sense of humor. There was even a gathering of our UK fans in a town called Leamington Spa a couple of hours north of London. It's really pretty cool to play some of these smaller towns and villages when we come over here, as you never know what you will chance upon. For instance, at the gig in Leamington Spa, our backstage room was Tammy Wynette's trailer from the 1950s! How it got over here is anyone's guess, but it was in pristine condition, all pink and chrome and glass. The village of Leamington Spa is rather upscale, extremely quaint, and is, I understand, a destination resort town with a couple of colleges. VERY English in a textbook sort of way.

I wandered into a record store in Nottingham yesterday, where I found Jeff Beck's Truth and The Band's self-titled CD for just three pounds each brand-new . . . such a deal for these benchmark pieces of work. I also got "Now This Is What I Call Music Volume 73" for 15 pounds. I WILL pay top dollar for the cheese. I absolutely LOVE cheeky British pop music. Some of it is so bad that it is genius. On a ferry ride from Ireland the other day, I got Kylie Minogue's Greatest Hits. I can't wait to listen to it, if only to bother our guitarist Mike Squires with it. He HATES cheeky pop, and it has become a little game of cat-and-mouse that we play in the bus or backstage. I will put something on, and he will instantly get up and move. I then follow him around and innocently put the CD on again wherever he has settled. It's fun for me, but I sense not so fun for poor Mike.

The questions game I devised for my daughters back home has really been a home run! They excitedly e-mail with their answers as to where I am at, and they have been receiving their hidden presents. It makes me feel really good that they know where on this planet I am. My dog Buckley gets real excited too, they tell me. He will look at the globe with them and jump up and down . . . or maybe he jumps up and down because he knows it's dinner time. Whatever. I believe what I believe and that is MY reality: that even my dog misses me and wants to know where I am. He always gets in my bag as I am packing it before I leave. It breaks my heart. I think it breaks his, too.

I broke my front tooth on the microphone the other night at a show--the same tooth I broke in the second grade when I fell off a chair. My hair is the same length and color as it was when I was 7, and somehow I suddenly look like a kid. Broken tooth and all. I miss my family.

Tonight I will be going to London, where things will become fancy. I will stay at a hotel on Park Lane and see my wife. Fancy! We will go to Vivienne Westwood on Bond Street to look at fancy clothes, and I will do a TV appearance on Channel 4 over here. Fancy. Loaded will play the Hammersmith tomorrow night. FUCKING ULTRA FANCY. I played this venue with GN'R in '87 and five more times with Velvet Revolver The Hammersmith is where David Bowie retired Diamond Dogs.

Well, there it is, a stream-of-conscience column written without the luxury of sight! I hope you enjoy. If you are about to come to one of our shows over here, and I don't recognize you . . . you now know why!

http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/reverb/2009/10/touring_around_the_uk_without.php

[FunkyMonkey]

The next two Seattle Weekly extras...

I've Been Listening to ABBA, Sweet, and Nirvana's "Negative Creep"

By Duff McKagan

Monday, Oct. 19 2009
http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/reverb/2009/10/ive_been_listening_to_abba_swe.php

I've Been Listening to Fountain of Youth, The Subways, and Hot Legs

Monday, Oct. 12 2009
http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/reverb/2009/10/ive_been_listening_to_fountain.php

[FunkyMonkey]

Chloe and Me...and Buckley, Too

By Duff McKagan

Thursday, Oct. 22 2009

At this moment I am sitting on a train awaiting departure from Glasgow, Scotland, south to Newcastle. My wife just left this morning, heading back home. The rest of the band is already in Newcastle, as they chose to have their day off down there while I stayed up here. Yes, yesterday was a much-coveted rest day, a day to let the bruises heal and the various joint-swellings recess a bit.

Yesterday, I finally watched Marley and Me. I had read the book when it came out, but had resisted actually seeing the movie as the subject matter hits a little too close to home for me. You see, I had a yellow lab in my adult years who was a LOT like Marley except that she was a girl named Chloe.

To me, the parallels of the Marley story to my life are almost uncanny. I write a column, as does John Grogan, the author of Marley and Me. Chloe was a naughty and mischievous girl in her youth, as was Marley. Chloe chewed up anything and everything . . . so did Marley. Chloe helped us raise our daughters, and would know beforehand when one of them was going to be sick or otherwise out of tilt. Chloe would help nurse us back to health without expectation of reward. Chloe loved us without condition, and she in return became the love of our lives. When she got sick with liver cancer at the age of 13, we nursed her back and did anything and everything to ease her pain. When the stairs at our house became too much of a hurdle for my girl, I would carry her up so that she could sleep with us, her family.

When it came time to put Chloe down, my wife and I bawled as we loaded her into the back of my Ford Bronco. I called my English professor at Seattle University to tell him that I would not be able to make class that day, and he heard the pain in my voice. Professor Sam Greene was a visiting poet, and I was fortunate enough to get into his class. As I told him the reason for my absence, he began to cry right along with me over the phone. I will never forget that. Just before the vet put the catheter into Chloe's vein, she gave me an un-rushed private moment with my girl. I told her how much I loved her and thanked her for helping me grow into a man. I thanked her for the well-being of my daughters and for all the service she selflessly gave. She told me with her eyes that she understood and that she was ready and that she was tired from fighting. She was ready to rest. As the life left her body, I cried harder that I ever had before or since. I loved my girl Chloe.

When we brought our first baby home from the hospital, we had no idea what to expect from Chloe. Until then, she had sort of ruled the roost, as it were, as our only child. Chloe had previous experience in motherhood. As a 1-year-old pre-spayed young lass, she snuck out of the house and got knocked up. A few months later, she had a record 14 PUPPIES!!! It was one of the happiest times in my life having all of those little guys in my house, and Chloe tirelessly handled her motherly duties like a pro. A few years later, as we brought our new infant home, Chloe instantly knew that her role in the family had changed. She slept underneath Grace's crib every night and gently played ball with her as she grew.

When we had our second daughter, Chloe accepted her duties without question or forlon, but she did start to tire more easily. In return, my girls let her rest when she needed it, and the girls got an early sense of responsibility as they seemed to sense that Chloe now needed THEM too.

Chloe was quite a swimmer, and was delighted when we moved to our house on Lake Washington. For years, a beaver lived under our dock who played a daily and spirited game of cat-and-mouse with poor Chloe. Chloe never caught that beaver. When Chloe started to slow down and could only sit on the step that led to the water, the beaver would come in close and sort of visit Chloe. After Chloe died, that poor beaver would search for Chloe every day, but finally gave up after a few weeks--missing her friend, I am quite sure.

When my girls got a bit older, they started to pine for a new dog. My traveling schedule dictated that we would need to get a dog that could travel with us. I had never had a small dog, and never really even been around them. Yappy little dogs are not my style. We found our new little buddy--a King Charles Cavalier spaniel--after scouring dog breeds for months. What he lacks in smarts, he makes up for with love. Our little boy Buckley asks for no more than some food and to be with us. He travels pretty much everywhere we go, and if I must travel away on my own, he tries to sneak into my bag before I zip it up. He is always trying to go on man trips with me. I love you too, buddy.

Watching Marley and Me made me realize somehow that I have a full and rich life, that everyone has problems and fights and issues. But a strong family and an unruly dog are privileges and not nuisances. Sure, I see myself as a sort of wandering bandolero at times, and I am allowed that in my family. They let me be who I am and I give back EVERYTHING I have in return. I may mumble and grumble about living in a houseful of women at times, but really I don't know what I would do without them. I get to go out and rock like a badass (in my own mind, anyway) and ride my motorcycles like a hardass (again, that is how I view myself). Actually, I think I AM all of those things AND a damn good father and husband. Maybe lacking in romance at times, and lacking in a general understanding of what little girls are all about. I am, however, the protector . . . and I know I have learned a lot of this from my life with dogs.

http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/reverb/2009/10/chloe_and_meand_buckley_too.php

[gnr2k6]

I've Been Listening to Fountain of Youth, The Subways, and Hot Legs

Monday, Oct. 12 2009
http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/reverb/2009/10/ive_been_listening_to_fountain.php

i was there when he was doing this

[FunkyMonkey]

Seattle Weekly Extra...

I've Been Listening to Iggy Pop, Iggy Pop, and Iggy Pop

By Duff McKagan in Duff McKagan

Iggy and the Stooges, "Shake Appeal" (Raw Power): I got myself into a bit of an Iggy phase this last week after reading Watch You Bleed (By Stephen Davis). "Shake Appeal" has one of the baddest riffs ever in the history of rock and roll.

Iggy Pop, "Sister Midnight" (The Idiot): Iggy has had many different phases of his career and his 'Berlin years' writing and recording with David Bowie stand out to me as probably the most drastic, and in a way, prolific. "Sister Midnight" is more a state of mind than a real song, but certainly showcases how ahead of its time this song was. The early use of synthesizer in conjunction with real drums and bass were to feed the imagination of a New Wave that was still six years away.

Iggy Pop, "Butt Town" (Brick By Brick): Why "Butt Town"? It has a great sense of humor. And, hell, Slash and I played on it!!

http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/reverb/2009/10/ive_been_listening_to_iggy_pop_1.php

[FunkyMonkey]

Duff McKagan: Surely There Is a Better Way in the Middle East. Even a Rocker Like Me Knows That

By Duff McKagan in Duff McKagan

Thursday, Oct. 29 2009

Many may scoff when they see I am writing a pseudo-political piece. Many, too, will likely proclaim that I have no right to take up a pen on a topic as lofty and complex as Afghanistan and Iraq. But I am a proud citizen of the United States and a member of a family that has sent seven of its members into war in just two generations. I am a student in this life, ever learning and interested in the things that happen now and have happened in the past. Here now are a few of my quick conclusions:

When I read that former Marine Captain Matthew Hoh had resigned his post in protest as a U.S. Foreign Service member in Afghanistan, I decided to finally write my direct opinion as to what and why we are over there.

Hoh claims that while "there are some (al-Qaeda) dudes that need to be killed over there," the U.S. plans and strategy in Afghanistan are ill-planned. He claims that our troop presence in Afghanistan is actually creating more militants, as we are looked at as an evil occupier as opposed to a righteous aid in nation-building. Hoh claims that the opposition there has gone from Taliban-only to a more widespread group that only sees U.S. soldiers occupying their until-now peaceful villages and valleys. President Obama is mulling sending an additional 40,000 troops to Afghanistan, as Gen. McCrystal has asked. I don't get it.

Has anyone seen Charlie Wilson's War or read the book? The fighters that the U.S. covertly funded and supplied with BILLIONS of dollars of taxpayer money to fend off the Soviets in the '80s are the same fighters we are spending BILLIONS of dollars and U.S. soldiers' lives to fight. In just 30 years, we have gone from one side to the other. By the way, the Soviets got their asses kicked while trying to occupy this region, and so did Genghis Khan. They call Afghanistan "the Empire Killer" simply because it drains previously well-supplied armies of their material and will to fight.

The people there are used to civil war and hard living; strife is a comfort zone that goes back hundreds if not thousands of years in this region. It is a tribal-warfare region, tribes basically fighting over the same water, well, or irrigable piece of sand. What the hell are we doing in a place like this? I've heard the argument that we're in there to ensure that it doesn't become a breeding ground for terrorist groups again. But our going in there creates more fuel against America, as it did for the Soviets. From before we were born until after we are dead, there will be breeding grounds for terrorists.

The Middle East and Afghanistan are none of our business. This war is not winnable, in my opinion. In the past I have touted books like The Forever War, Longitudes and Attitudes, and The Pat Tillman Story in this column. If anyone wants to learn more about this region, please read these books or otherwise educate yourself on the history and conflict that has been in this region well before we were even a country.

The Soviet occupation of Afghanistan has been called their "Vietnam." Haven't we already had our Vietnam? How is it that our government so quickly forgets a war that so split our country and killed so many soldiers and displaced so many innocent villagers? That war was meant to quell Communism, this one is meant to stop terrorism. I must be missing something here. Did the Vietnam War do anything to stop Communism in that region? I would argue that it only strengthened it. And something else about Vietnam sounds familiar when you compare it to Afghanistan: The U.S. propped up Ho Chi Minh's cause in their fight for independence in the 1940's, only to fight and lose against his armies 20 years later.

People like Osama bin Laden need to be stopped for sure, but is a conventional war the answer? I don't see how sending more armed troops to that region will create less hatred. The kids that the Taliban are sending into battle from their religious fundamentalist camps and schools only seek to gain glory as their fathers did against the Soviets. They are trained from an early age to hate Americans. Will sending more soldiers over there do anything to stop this hatred? Peace Corps, anyone?

T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) was a student first, a soldier second. During WWI, he was sent to what is now Saudi Arabia to help protect the English interest in the Suez Canal and try to prop up the different Arab tribes against the German-allied Turks. Major Lawrence, though, knew of tribal warfare and the futility and pain of trying to occupy this region, which was the intent of England after the war. The Arabs were keen to the English tricks of colonialism, and would have fought guerrilla-type warfare if forced to . . . forever. Lawrence instead sought to understand the "Arab mind," a mindset that is to this day much different than our common Western thought process. We can't pretend to understand it.

But what other factors am I missing here? Ah, yes . . . OIL! We must protect our interests and the supply of the stuff we so badly need to fuel our country, our country that is so heavily dependent on oil that we are willing to have our sons and daughters die for it. And what about corporate greed and lobbying as far as the companies that supply our needs in warfare: bullets, bombs, guns, clothes, helmets, medicine . . . and body bags? I don't mean to sound like a bleeding-heart liberal, but it's something to think about. These interests that think nothing of charging us taxpayers $1B for the building of a hospital in Iraq that falls apart two years later (Read The Forever War by Dexter Filkins). These same interests that charge taxpayers $20 per bottle of water that they send to Iraq or Afghanistan. It makes me want to break stuff.

http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/reverb/2009/10/duff_mckagan_surely_there_is_a.php

[FunkyMonkey]

Seattle Extra..

I've Been Listening to Whatever My Daughter's Listening to: Pixie Lott, Plasticines, and Phoenix

By Duff McKagan in Duff McKagan

Monday, Nov. 2 2009

My oldest daughter, Grace, is now 12 years old and has become a major influence on the newer music that I find these days. I have always been an unapologetic fan of sometimes-cheesy pop music, and my ear will like things that others may find a little uncool. Oh, well. This week, take a trip with me into my daughter Grace's playlist, the newest and hippest stuff out there via YouTube:

Pixie Lott, "Boys and Girls"
I think this is one of Mark Ronson's new projects, as I saw this video a TON when I was recently in the UK. If you like Duffy and Amy Winehouse, Pixie Lott is a newer and perhaps poppier version of this ilk.

Plastiscines, "Barcelona"
Plasticines are a new all-girl rock/pop band with a knack for writing a good hook. This is really fun stuff that needs no high-brow critic to dissect them. Maybe like a cross between the Go-Gos and the Ting Tings. Check it out.

Phoenix, "1901"
"1901" was a song that at first listen did absolutely nothing for me. I remember thinking the same thing when I first heard the Strokes, though. But this single has grown on me to the point that I can't get the song out of my head now. Phoenix could be that next big thing.

http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/reverb/2009/11/ive_been_listening_to_whatever.php

[FunkyMonkey]

Them Crooked Vultures and a Super Group of Dudes

By Duff McKagan in Duff McKagan

Thursday, Nov. 12 2009

When I first heard that John Paul Jones, Dave Grohl, and Josh Homme were forming a band last spring, I must say that I was jealous. Are you kidding me?! These three mega-talented and unique figures playing hard rock in a unified and focused group? I was excited, to say the least, from a player's perspective AND as a fan. Then came the inevitable "supergroup" tags.

Lazy journalists like to put a tag on anything they can in an attempt to sum up a whole genre or movement with a quick phrase that will make their job easier and take a swipe at a band in the process. You know, "stoner rock," "grunge," "indie," "hair metal," etc. "Supergroup" conjures a negative image in my mind, and we in Velvet Revolver had to deal with this label in our first year. Fans never called us a supergroup, mind you, only journalists. I've heard this title being bandied about in reference to Them Crooked Vultures, and I think it is a cheap way out.

To label an act a supergroup somehow suggests--to me, anyway--that they were formed to cash in on the members' superstar power. First, when you have been playing in successful bands for a while, your friends and comrades in the field are others like you. These are simply the people that you KNOW!

And NOBODY is cashing in these days. Acts are not selling enough records to turn much profit--if any--and touring is a shrinking business. TCV is in this thing for the right reason, and that is to fucking rock.

Judging from the single, "New Fang," Them Crooked Vultures has a lot to offer a rock scene that is suffering from a lack of the real shit . . . the dirty shit! Did I mention that John Paul Jones is in the band?

John Paul Jones

For those of you who may have lived under a rock for the past 40 years, or were perhaps squirreled away in some hipster scene that disallowed such things as earth-moving grooves, John Paul Jones was the groundbreaking bass player and multi-instrumentalist in Led Zeppelin. JPJ has influenced EVERY great bass player since then, and his bass playing and sense of pocket and melody may never be matched again. To me he was the heart and soul of the band. Zeppelin lore has it that Jones held that band together and helped to make it as musical as it was, giving it a sense of depth and movement that has yet to be matched. Enough said: John Paul Jones is a bad, bad man.

Josh Homme

Josh Homme is someone who has gained a ton of respect in the community of musicians that I am acquainted with, not only for his songwriting and playing skills but as a straight-shooter and a guy who has your back if you are a friend. Josh has Seattle roots. He went to the UW while also playing in Screaming Trees in the mid-'90s before forming the stellar Queens of the Stone Age. Queens, for my money, has been the most influential band, as far as what new bands want to be and sound like, of the last eight or so years. Do I even need to add that he was a founding member of KYUSS? (FYI, everyone says they were into KYUSS when they were happening, but if it were true, the band would have been as big as U2.)

Dave Grohl

Ah, last but far from least, Dave Motherfucking Grohl. The drummer every other drummer, guitar player, and singer I know wishes they were. A songwriter whose verse and riffage flow with impossible ease and consistency. A man who is really just the nicest guy in rock and roll, who still bounces with excitement when some band or artist he likes is either passing through town or putting out a new record.
For these three guys to come together and form a real band--well, hell, it must be like some sort of fairy-dust shit just being at a band practice! Can you imagine? Them Crooked Vultures have created something new and fresh with no obvious nods to any of their past bands. A hard feat, for sure. Yes, you can tell it's JPJ on bass, Josh singing and playing guitar, and Grohl killing the drums. But the overall originality of the band's sound is startlingly refreshing. I sound like a damn rock critic right now, a breed of writer I absolutely detest. These guys are just straight-up cool and pretty fucking righteous, if you ask me.

[royalhellboy]

Them Crooked Vultures are awsome, the album is great.
Dave, Paul and Josh are saving rock right now!!

[Albert S Miller]

Them Crooked Vultures are awsome, the album is great.
Dave, Paul and Josh are saving rock right now!!

Long Live Rock N Roll