Songcraft: Spotlight on Songwriters
Music:Music Interviews
Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Duff McKagan, best known as a member of Guns N' Roses and Velvet Revolver, talks about writing songs with his legendary bandmates, a few of his various side projects, and his genre-spanning recent album, Lighthouse.
PART ONE
Scott and Paul shout out some Patreon supporters and reflect on the small handful of artists who, like Guns N' Roses, emerged on the scene and completely changed the game.
PART TWO
Our in-depth interview with Duff McKagan
ABOUT DUFF McKAGAN
Though best known as the bassist for Guns N’ Roses, Duff McKagan wears many musical hats. He started his career in Seattle playing various instruments in various punk bands. Following a stint on guitar in the group 10 Minute Warning he moved to Los Angeles, and eventually ended up in Guns N' Roses. Starting in 1987, they released a steady stream of classics with songwriting credits to the whole band, including “Welcome to the Jungle,” “Sweet Child o’ Mine,” “Paradise City,” and “Patience.” As the 1990s dawned, the group released the albums Use Your Illusion I and II, which included Duff-penned songs such as “Civil War,” which he co-wrote with Slash and Axl Rose, and “So Fine,” which he wrote solo, and on which he performed the lead vocal.
Following Duff’s first solo album, Believe in Me, in 1993, he formed the supergroup Neurotic Outsiders, which included Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols, John Taylor of Duran Duran, and Matt Sorum of The Cult and Guns N’ Roses. After departing Guns N’ Roses in 1997, Duff returned to 10 Minute Warning before forming a new band called Loaded. That band went on hiatus when he launched Velvet Revolver with Loaded guitarist Dave Kushner, Slash, Matt Sorum, and Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots. Writing the songs with the whole band, they found success with tracks such as “Slither” and “Fall to Pieces.”
In 2016 Duff and Slash officially returned to Guns N’ Roses to headline Coachella. Prior to his return, he played with various groups, including a revival of Loaded, Alice Cooper’s band, Jane’s Addiction, and Hollywood Vampire. Since returning to Guns N’ Roses Duff has remained busy with outside projects. His solo album Tenderness, produced by Shooter Jennings, was released in 2019. He co-wrote five songs on Ozzy Osbourne’s Ordinary Man album, and co-wrote three songs on Iggy Pop’s album Every Loser.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer's most recent solo effort, entitled Lighthouse, was released in 2023.
Ep. 67 - TOM T. HALL ("Old Dogs, Children, and Watermelon Wine")
Ep. 66 - HARALD KLOSER (film composer, "The Day After Tomorrow")
Ep. 65 - RORY FEEK of Joey + Rory ("The Chain of Love")
Ep. 64 - MARK JAMES ("Suspicious Minds")
Ep. 63 - DICKEY LEE ("She Thinks I Still Care")
Ep. 62 - BILLY VERA ("At This Moment")
Ep. 61 - VINCE GILL ("Go Rest High On That Mountain")
Ep. 60 - JIMMY WEBB ("By the Time I Get to Phoenix")
Ep. 59 - TALIB KWELI ("Get By")
Ep. 58 - JOE MELSON ("Only the Lonely")
Ep. 57 - ROD ARGENT of The Zombies ("Time of the Season")
Ep. 56 - NATALIE HEMBY ("Automatic")
Ep. 55 - JERRY CHESNUT ("T-R-O-U-B-L-E")
Ep. 54 - RADNEY FOSTER ("A Real Fine Place to Start")
Ep. 53 - PAM SHEYNE ("Genie in a Bottle")
Ep. 52 - Songcraft Sampler (2nd Anniversary Highlights)
Ep. 51 - SONNY CURTIS ("I Fought the Law")
Ep. 50 - LORETTA LYNN ("Coal Miner's Daughter")
Ep. 49 - TOM RUSSELL ("Gallo del Cielo")
Ep. 48 - MARLA CANNON-GOODMAN ("Ten Rounds With Jose Cuervo")
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