In the minds of many rock fans, Duff McKagan will forever be known first and foremost as the bassist for Guns N' Roses. The band’s white-hot reign in the late '80s through the early '90s is the stuff of hedonistic, hard rock legend. And for anyone interested in reading a detailed account of that wild ride, check out Duff’s memoir, “It’s So Easy and Other Lies.”
After turning 30, Duff got sober, eventually left GNR, and then went on to play stints in Alice In Chains and Jane’s Addiction—and he helped form the supergroup, Velvet Revolver. In 2016, he rejoined Guns N' Roses following their induction into the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame.
Outside of his contributions to big name rock bands, Duff has also been releasing solo material since the early '90s. His latest album, Lighthouse, signals a new musical direction for Duff—one that focuses on reflective, personal lyrics and stripped-down rootsy-rock.
On today’s episode Leah Rose talks to Duff McKagan about his decision to leave the heroin-infested punk rock scene in his hometown of Seattle for LA. He also shares stories about Axl Rose and Slash while recording Appetite For Destruction. And he reminisces about the time his musical idol Prince was trying to get Duff to reveal the real reason why Guns N' Roses broke up.
You can hear a playlist of some of our favorite Duff McKagan songs HERE.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nilüfer Yanya
Neneh Cherry
Lyle Lovett
The Doors: Robby Krieger and John Densmore
Danny Brown and Johnny Echols on Love's Forever Changes
Sonny Rollins
Adrian Quesada
J Dilla: Dan Charnas on the Life and Legacy of Jay Dee
PJ Morton
Sharon Van Etten
Tom Jones
Belle and Sebastian
Michael Stipe
Chad Smith
Flea
John Frusciante and Anthony Kiedis
John Frusciante
Missy Elliott
Patti Smith
Bonnie Raitt
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Revisionist History
The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos
Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford
The Last Archive
Solvable