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Mick Stingley's
Exclusive Interview With Duff McKagan:
The Velvet Revolver Bassist, Guns 'N
Roses Alum, and Business Scholar on Punk,
Funk, Soul and Rock & Roll
A great deal has already
been written about the advent of Velvet
Revolver. This “all-star” collaboration
has generated more press than the Monica
Lewinsky scandal. Their debut album,
Contraband is out now, and with all eyes
on Duff McKagan, Slash, Matt Sorum, Scott
Weiland and Dave Kushner to save rock
and roll, the future looks promising.
Without further ado…
(Actually, after some
ado, where I am on hold for a while listening
to light Jazz…)
KNAC.COM: Hello?
McKAGAN: Mick?
KNAC.COM: Yes?
McKAGAN: IT’S DUFF!
KNAC.COM: DUFF!!!
McKAGAN: [Laughing] Hey! How’s
it going?
KNAC.COM: It’s
great! It’s goin’ great Duff
-- how’s it going with you?
McKAGAN: It’s alright!
KNAC.COM: Cool.
This is terrific! It‘s great to
have a chance to talk to you. This is
for KNAC.COM… I’m sure you’re
familiar with…
McKAGAN: Totally!
KNAC.COM: …when
it was on FM radio… I was wondering
if we could start off – if you
could just share a couple of memories
of “Pure Rock 105.5!”?
McKAGAN: Oh, man… where do you
wanna start?
KNAC.COM: Uh… you
tell me.
McKAGAN: I think, uh… yeah,
I remember the first time going down there
[Laughs]… How graphic do you want
me to get?
KNAC.COM: Well,
uh, as far as I know, we have no restrictions – Internet...
McKAGAN: No restrictions? [Laughs]
We went down to Long Beach, and uh, Izzy
was never really, he’s never been,
you know, to this day, he’s not a real
talkative guy. Right before we went in, we
went live on the air, and he did… he
did something… something odd, that
made him talk a lot.
KNAC.COM: [Laughs]
McKAGAN: [Laughs] You know?
Right before we went on-- and Izzy
just went crazy! He talked the whole
time, over the DJ, over us, over everybody… [Laughs]
It was like, “Okay, which Izzy
are we talking to? Which Izzy are we
talking to now? Who are you?” And
that was our first experience on KNAC
and they thought it was just hilarious,
you know? But I mean… in LA,
they were really like, the first—well,
I would say [as far as] the States--they
were probably the first radio station
to really get behind this band. Behind
Guns ‘N Roses…
KNAC.COM: Guns ‘N
Roses…
McKAGAN: And, you know, the first
to play us and talk about us and pump us
up in LA, and people started to hear about
it that way. I think hand in hand, you know,
when GNR started to blow up, everybody --
I think, if not in the world, at least in
the United States -- everybody started to
hear about KNAC. You’d go to some place
like Philadelphia and see people with KNAC
shirts on, you know? So it was definitely
a phenomenon, for a while. I wish it was
still on the air.
KNAC.COM: Well… we’re--
it’s on the Internet.
McKAGAN: Yup! No, at least there’s
that. No, totally. But… Lonn Friend
and those guys… it was just great. Great
relationship.
KNAC.COM: So, now!
Velvet Revolver! Very exciting… and
I’ve had a chance to listen to
the record…
McKAGAN: Oh, cool!
KNAC.COM: And I
can’t say enough good about it…
McKAGAN: That’s excellent!
KNAC.COM: I wanted
to… steer clear of too many Guns ‘N
Roses questions, if any at all. I’m
sure you probably have to field a lot
of that, so…
McKAGAN: Yeah…
KNAC.COM: And since
we only have a little bit of time, I
just wanted to start by asking, since
you seemed to bring a lot of a punk feel
to Guns ‘N Roses… I don’t
know if that’s correct, if you
feel that, but going with, The Spaghetti
Incident, for example…
McKAGAN: Oh, yeah! Yeah… that’s… no,
you’re, you’re right.
KNAC.COM: I was
wondering how that applies to Velvet
Revolver.
McKAGAN: Well, I think probably this
record collectively, just because there was
so much manic energy, it’s probably the
most punk-rock record any of us have made on
a major label. You know? I think it’s
just got so much aggression and so much passion.
It’s really to me what punk rock was
all about, you know? Not holding back anything.
And this record’s really live. You know
we did the whole record in two and a half weeks.
KNAC.COM: Wow.
McKAGAN: Yeah… it was
just, you know… if it… basically,
there’s first, second or maybe
a third take--I think maybe we did
a third take on just a few songs, but
it’s really a live record. And
that’s why we picked Josh Abraham,
you know? We had tried a couple of
other producers… Josh brought--
he came down to our rehearsal [and]
he brought this-- not our favorite
band, by any means-- but, uh, Courtney
Love’s “Hole.” He
had brought down some songs he had
just recorded with them… her… and
he put it on and it felt like the band
was right in front of you -- right
in your face. And that’s all
we wanted: mic us up, press play and
record and, you know, we’ll stop
when the song’s over. And make
sure you got it on tape, you know?
And really… that’s it.
And that… that Hole recording
he did, that really demonstrated he
could do that well. And, he’s
known for doing Orgy and Linkin Park
and that kinda stuff… but he’s
also a damn good rock and roll producer,
so we went with him and it worked.
KNAC.COM: And it’s
got a little bit of a punky vibe, no
doubt.
McKAGAN: Yeah…
KNAC.COM: You… you--
I’m a big Johnny Thunders fan and…
McKAGAN: You and me both!
KNAC.COM: Yeah,
and…
McKAGAN: Do you know that Izzy’s
gonna be Johnny Thunders? The Dolls
are doing a reunion next month…
KNAC.COM: I heard
about that – that’s just
so fucking amazing to me…
McKAGAN: Izzy just… he called
me and he goes, (does Izzy imitation) “You’ll
never believe, I got this call today, man… from
Johansen… and, uh, he wants to do… they’re
gonna do a Dolls reunion, and, uh, they want
me to be Thunders… and, yeah, it’s
like, wow…”
KNAC.COM: That’s
so cool… and so perfect, too…
McKAGAN: Yeah, right? (Again as Izzy): ”So
I learned the record, and, uh, yeah, uh,
I got it down… and this should be
a blast man!”
KNAC.COM: Did you
ever see Johnny Thunders?
McKAGAN: Oh, yeah -- of course!
I actually played with him when I was--
fifteen? Fifteen or sixteen. I played
drums.
KNAC.COM: You played… drums
with him?
McKAGAN: Yeah, I had a gig in Portland,
Oregon. His drummer got sick and I knew all
the songs, so I just got up and played! And
then, uh, we actually opened for Thunders
at Fender’s in Long Beach!
KNAC.COM: Damn.
Sorry I didn’t get to see that
show…
McKAGAN: Yeah. Like ‘86 or something.
KNAC.COM: I saw
him once when I was a kid -- I think
it changed my life.
McKAGAN: Yeah, right? Yeah, Iggy [Pop]
did that for me, absolutely changed my life;
but Thunders was just a huge influence for
me… and then I got to play in a band
with Steve Jones who was another… Thunders
apostle, or disciple I should say? And Steve
Jones was, of course, another idol of mine.
And I got to be in a band with Steve Jones,
right? And then once we did a gig and Iggy
got up and sang with us! So here I was -- it
was just Iggy and Steve Jones… and I’m
just goin’ “WOW!”
KNAC.COM: With
that… going back there… about
punk -- what do you hear now that you
like, if anything, with all this “pop-punk” out
there?
McKAGAN: Ohh… Uh…
KNAC.COM: What
about Simple Plan?
McKAGAN: Oh, no. No. I don’t
really like any of this… second-generation
pop-punk stuff. No… The Buzzcocks
came and went and they were amazing
at what they did… and 999… and,
you know, we could go on forever… it’s--
KNAC.COM: I can’t
believe you just brought up 999!
McKAGAN: Well… that’s--
you know, that’s basically what I hear
being copied.
KNAC.COM: Sure.
McKAGAN: You know? Bands of
that genre. You don’t hear The
Avengers or bands of anymore…more
angst being copied. Why? Because it
won’t sell. You know, people
are doing stuff that’s gonna
sell. You know? It’s always been
that way, but the record industry has
just gotten so-- you know, if you don’t
sell a million records on your first
go-round: you’re done!
KNAC.COM: That’s
an interesting point: how does that affect
you now?
McKAGAN: Well we… I’ve
always had the same attitude: we could give
a shit! We made the record we wanted to make,
and we’re gonna go play live. And you
know? Fortunately for us, Slither is the
number one most-added single at radio, and
it’s across the board in “modern
rock” and “active rock” and
all the “blah-blah-blah rock”,
you know? There’s gotta be fucking
categories for everything, so… you
know, uh-- they’re playing it, and
for us, we couldn’t care if they’re
playing it or not -- we’re still going
to go out and play live…
KNAC.COM: Nice…
McKAGAN: The live thing is what
we’re all about, and it’s
always been what I’m about, you
know? You can put out a record, and
it’s just a piece, you know?
Just a snapshot of your band at a certain
time. And you go and you tour on that
snapshot. But you evolve as you’re
touring, you know? You’re getting
ready to make your next record, and
you’re– We could go in,
now, and do like, a blues record. We
could go and do a… a… a
crazy… death-metal record right
now…you know?
KNAC.COM: [Laughs]
McKAGAN: [Laughs] And it’s
just so multi-faceted… and it’s
great, you know?
KNAC.COM: Cool… well,
speaking of the band…
McKAGAN: Yup…
KNAC.COM: There’s
been a lot of focus since you guys first
got together and started jamming and
the search for the singer was on and
so forth. And, lately, a lot of attention,
a lot of focus on… obviously… shall
we say… the, uh… “shenanigans” of
certain people lately. I was wondering… and
I hope this is not inappropriate to ask
you…
McKAGAN: You can ask me anything. I’ll
lie if I have to! [Laughs] No, I’m just
joking! Go ahead…
KNAC.COM: Well… since
the band is now… pretty much known
to be, or professed to be “clean,” “sober” and
that sort of thing…
McKAGAN: Yeah… go ahead…
KNAC.COM: What
tour rider demands do you have now, and
how are they different from “back
in the day”?
McKAGAN: [Laughs] Well, we’re
saving some promoters a lot of money on booze,
I’ll tell you that!
KNAC.COM: [Laughs]
McKAGAN: And-- and a lotta runners
a lot of grief from going out to score
us drugs when we get to town… [Laughs]
Tour riders! You know, I wonder if
we get that money back somehow…
KNAC.COM: Well,
that’s another thing I wanted to
ask -- about your degree! You went back
to school, dude!
McKAGAN: Aha, you hear me -- you hear
the wheels turning?
KNAC.COM: Well,
you’re runnin’ down the per
diem, I’m sure…
McKAGAN: Yeah, right? Uh, yeah… no,
I’m-- I got my accounting minor and I
was only one semester from getting my Bachelor’s
Degree in Finance… so I’ll get
that at one point or another. But it really
helps out, you know. The reason I started,
[I’d] gotten-- I landed in the hospital
in ’94, and it was pretty touch and go
there, and as a result, I stopped everything.
So I kinda got outta this stupor, this haze,
and you know, I had a lot of time on my hands.
You know? I wasn’t going to cop drugs
or spending all my time in a bar, or whatever
-- or both, you know? So, I… I started
doin’ martial arts and I started going
through my filing cabinets and I started looking
at all the financial statements for Guns and
stuff… and trying to read this stuff.
And it was really impossible to read. So I
went to Santa Monica Community College… and
took like, just an overall business class.
And in that, they had… they taught you
how to read financial statements and balance
sheets and stuff. And, ahh… so I went
back to these huge financial statements and
thought: “You know what? These things
don’t make sense!” [Laughs] So
then I took another class, and the professor
in that class said, “You’re really
good at this, you should pursue this.” I
never graduated High School, so…
KNAC.COM: Oh, wow…
McKAGAN: Yeah. So, I moved back
up to Seattle, and I got into a pretty
fancy, high-falutin’ school.
And it was tough. It was really, really
tough. It was a Jesuit School, like
Pepperdine, you know?
KNAC.COM: Well… makes
sense -- Jesuits… “McKagan”?
I’m guessing…
McKAGAN: Yeah, right? I hadn’t
really… well, it was just the best business
school in the Northwest. And… I got
in and it took off from there and I really
learned a lot. So, when we have business meetings
at the record label… or anywhere --
people are aware of that. And I’m really
surprised… sometimes -- a lot of times
-- I’ll know more than the person we’re
talking to. Maybe it’s because I’m
fresh outta school, or because they never learned
it.
KNAC.COM: This
sounds like the premise for a sitcom,
or a movie: famous rock star goes back
to school…
McKAGAN: Hah! Yeah… but, well,
you know I had cut my hair short…and,
at this school, it was so hard -- this school
-- that everybody was really on the edge
of their seats and the kids were really respectful,
of, you know… me and my privacy…
KNAC.COM: No one
tried to get you to come to their parties?
McKAGAN: [Laughs] Yeah… well,
I got invited to some parties, you know? And
it was funny when we had to go do some things
off-campus, I’d go and pick up some of
the kids from the dorms that didn’t have
a car… I’d pick ‘em up: “I’ll
give you a ride…”
KNAC.COM: Dude,
that is so cool of you…
McKAGAN: But, really, the school was
so tough, and it was business, accounting,
you know? You’re doing this very heavy,
tedious kind-of work. You just don’t
have time-- no one had time to go: “Hey,
dude! Sign my record!” You know? But
I did find out one thing: There’s a
lot of 18-19-20 year-old kids who were really,
really bummed ‘cause they didn’t
have a rock band. You know, a rock band for
their generation.
KNAC.COM: I can
definitely understand that. Well, you’re
giving a whole new generation a chance… I
mean, this album is flat-out amazing.
McKAGAN: Oh, cool. I appreciate that…
KNAC.COM: I don’t
want to oversell it here--
McKAGAN: Oh! Go ahead! [Laughs] Be
my guest…
KNAC.COM: [Laughing]
Okay… it’s amazing! “Suckertrain
Blues” is fuckin’ awesome,
dude!
McKAGAN: [Laughs] So you got to hear
it?
KNAC.COM: Well,
yeah! I mean, [BMG is] doing it differently
than they way they do it with other bands.
Usually, you know, when a record is coming
out, they send you an advance and a press
kit a few weeks before…
McKAGAN: Yeah…
KNAC.COM: They’re
not releasing the record. No advances.
I’m sure it’s because of
the fear of downloading, but you have
to go to BMG to hear it. They put me
in a conference room on the 36th Floor
of the BMG building and I’m overlooking
Times Square. And they’re blasting
the shit out of the new CD and it’s
just me in there! I felt like a total
hotshot: “Mr. Stingley, would you
care for a beverage?” You know?
McKAGAN: Nice! That’s so awesome...
They have a good system in there?
KNAC.COM: A kick-ass
system! So, I really got to listen to
that fuckin’ record!
McKAGAN: Yeah. That’s cool!
And, well, you know, really the only reason
that we’re so old-school about this
thing, not giving out copies for promotion
or for press or whatever, is that we just
know -- all of us are computer guys, like
everybody else now -- we see all the stuff
being downloaded way before it’s supposed
to come out. We’re not trying to--
not-- it’s gonna get downloaded after
we put it out, we have no illusions that
we’re gonna stop that -- that’s
not the point of this. We just want that
old-school anticipation… the “line-up”!
You know? Man, I used to wait for records
to come out! I’d go down to the record
store and wait in line to get the record.
That was-- those are some of the coolest
memories I’ve ever had! You know? And
we just want this to be one of those records.
KNAC.COM: Well,
I think you’ve done it. There’s
a lot of excitement about it, and rightly
so. There’s an incredible dynamic… you
guys from GNR; Scott from Stone Temple
[Pilots]… you got Dave in there
and all of those bands he played in…
McKAGAN: Yeah, Dave is really an underrated
guy. I think he’ll come into his own
once we start touring and people see him. He’s
really brought in this thing, and it’s
added to what Slash does, as opposed to… he’s
not just playing what I’m playing or
he’s playing…you know? He does
his own thing, and Slash and he play off of
each other, and he’s such a “texture” guy.
Everybody in this band is the perfect guy for
that place that they’re in. We have the
perfect drummer for this band; we have the
perfect singer for this band; everybody is
perfect. The chemistry about us: nobody wrote
one song. Everybody wrote every song.
KNAC.COM: You… on your solo album
wrote all your songs, and you played almost
every instrument on a number of songs.
McKAGAN: Yeah!
KNAC.COM: How did
that affect your contribution to this
band? Did you find yourself becoming
more of a director sometimes?
McKAGAN: Uhh… it’s probably
just the same as it ever was. We’ve all
become better musicians and expanded ourselves.
But, I think in the end, I think it’s
that we just all respect each other’s
input. And, even Matt got out on guitar, and
he wrote the main riff for “Set Me Free”…
KNAC.COM: He did?
McKAGAN: Yeah! And it won, in
Guitar Player, in the US. It won the “Best
Guitar Riff Of The Year.” And
it was written by our drummer! [Laughs]
Which is pretty awesome, you know?
And the point of that is: we all contribute
and we all listen and we learn to respect
each other’s opinion. It’s
not like, “Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah… you’re
the drummer -- fuck off!” It’s
more like: “Okay! Yeah, then
show us!” and that’s how
it is for us.
KNAC.COM: You guys
are tight.
McKAGAN: Yeah. Oh, yeah.
KNAC.COM: With
the band having so many unique personalities,
and so much excitement around this, it
makes me think of the excitement that
followed The Beatles. At least from what
I’ve seen on television… describe,
in one word, each band member.
McKAGAN: Hmm…
KNAC.COM: You know?
Like, how they did that with The Beatles?
John was “The Serious One,” Paul
was “The Cute One”… I
know this sounds a little gay, but give
me your impressions…
McKAGAN: [Laughs] Well, Matt is “The
GAY One!”
KNAC.COM: [Laughs]
McKAGAN: Oh, really, do you
want me to go there? Okay.
KNAC.COM: Ahh --
I don’t know… but, yeah!
I like to try different things… I
had been thinking about the comparison
for a while, with the whole press thing
going on. The Beatles had that thing;
Guns sure as hell had it. Anyway, I’d
like to do something other than the “What’s
Axl like?” questions for the millionth
time…
McKAGAN: Yeah, yeah… no, that’s
cool. Let’s see… okay, let me
think about this. Okay. Slash is probably “The
Serious One.” Slash… yeah. Dave’s “The
Funny One.” Matt is… “The
Cute One.” I don’t know what I
am; I can’t get outside of myself. So… And
Scott is… “The Artsy One.”
KNAC.COM: “The
Artsy One”?
McKAGAN: Yeah. The “artiste.” He
thinks of things in, like, colors.
He has a very unique way of thinking.
But he’s pretty funny-- a funny
fucking guy too.
KNAC.COM: How is
he doing? After everything… I
heard you guys played over at KROQ [Los
Angeles] the other day, was it?
McKAGAN: We played it this morning!
KNAC.COM: It was
this morning?
McKAGAN: Yeah. We all had to
get up at 5:30…
KNAC.COM: Oh.
Man, I’m sorry.
McKAGAN: Yeah. But it was kick-ass!
It was really… it was live, you know?
I played the bass through a small amp. Matt
had, like… a little cocktail kit.
And… uh, Slash played-- We played “Slither” --
Slash played 12-string acoustic and Dave
played 6-string acoustic. We played “Interstate
Love Song” -- Stone Temple Pilots… and
we played, “I Used To Love Her, But
I Had To Kill Her.” And we just learned
those two songs yesterday, “Interstate” and “Used
To Love Her”… of course, I knew “Used
To Love Her” but Scott never sang it
before yesterday. And, you know, this band
is way better when it has to perform for
people. Rehearsal? Sometimes we suck! Just
because we’re just waiting to go tour,
you know? [Laughs] But – we’re
the best when-- we played the show at the
El Rey [Theater, Los Angeles], you know?
We did it on four… four days rehearsal.
And that show just kicked! It just burned!
It was one of the best live shows I’ve
ever done!
KNAC.COM: Is it
good to be out there doing it again?
McKAGAN: Yeah! You know, you’re
with four other guys that totally have your
back… I’ve had different bands,
Loaded and stuff. I’ve played with some
good guys. Neurotic Outsiders. But this is
truly a band that you know that you could fall
back on any one of the members of the band
and you know that they’re not gonna fall
off their stool and fuck up the song, you know
what I mean? Everybody holds their own weight
real, real good in this band.
KNAC.COM: With
your musical pedigree, what advice do
you offer for aspiring bassists, or multi-talented
musicians like yourself?
McKAGAN: Uh… you know what? I
would just say- and thanks for the “multi-talented” part
by the way--
KNAC.COM: [Laughs]
McKAGAN: ..And you like Thunders,
so you’re a cool guy… I
would just say really, the main thing
-- there’s a few main things:
Number one, just stick to your passion.
Don’t ever do anything for the
money, you know? If you do something
right, everything else will fall into
place. And also-- listen to stuff that
grooves. Listen to stuff with soul,
especially if you’re a bass player.
Go back and listen to Sly And The Family
Stone. Listen to Jamie Jamerson on
Motown. Funk Brothers. Listen to early
Prince, where he’s playing bass.
There’s actual… you know,
he plays everything, guitar, bass,
drums and sings… some of that
bass playing on there is just so “in
the pocket,” “in the groove.” Listen
to Cameo; up to the new… listen
to the new Outkast record, the Andre
side of that. It’s really amazing
for any bass player. And you can put
that… if you don’t have
the groove -- listen to John Paul Jones
-- he didn’t get that groove
listening to “rock” all
the time. He was a real soulful player,
and there wouldn’t have been
Led Zeppelin without John Paul Jones.
No doubt about that.
KNAC.COM: Were
you a Paul Weller fan ever?
McKAGAN: OH, absolutely! I saw
The Jam in 1980, with 999 as a matter
of fact!
KNAC.COM: You lucky
bastard! [Laughs]
McKAGAN: And I saw The Jam with
The Police, too! Uh, Paul Weller… yeah,
totally. But… the great rock
bass players… Paul Simonon [The
Clash] -- I think maybe not technically
one of the best, but attitude-wise,
definitely one of the best. Nick Oliveri,
from Queens [of the Stone Age], Ben
Shepard [Soundgarden] -- very underrated
bass player -- very, very inventive.
Anything… you know? I know these
guys; they listen to a lot of soul,
mainly R&B and Soul. And R&B
and Soul helps you appreciate more
about rock. And I think that’s
probably a good foundation, especially
if you’re just learning. You
can love Metallica, but listen to some
stuff that’s got some backbeat,
you know? A groove that you can sit
inside of. And then you’ll start
to appreciate what you’re doing
on bass. Yeah…
KNAC.COM: Okay.
Now here’s the one GNR question
I have for you.
McKAGAN: Okay!
KNAC.COM: If they
were playing today, would you go see
them?
McKAGAN: Well… [Pauses]… Noooo… I
doubt it. No. I – I just, you know, really… especially
once after I left and started going to school,
I really put it all behind me. I haven’t
really thought about it at all until I started
doing all this press and been asked about it.
So, it’s been kinda put in front of me.
And, you know, I have a healthy past with Axl
[Rose]. But Guns ‘N Roses was Guns ‘N
Roses when it was Guns ‘N Roses. If that
makes any sense to you -- does that make any
sense to you?
KNAC.COM: That
makes a lot of sense to me.
McKAGAN: Okay… and now,
it’s -- from what I understand
-- it’s… an ever-evolving
line-up. And… it’s, you
know, it’s Axl’s… he
owns the name.
KNAC.COM: Oh, yeah?
McKAGAN: Yeah. And that’s… that’s
where you get the Guns ‘N Roses
thing. And that’s about… that’s
kinda where it stops, too. You know?
For me, at least. I wouldn’t
go see it, myself. I hold nothing against
Axl, it’s just… I have
no interest in seeing it. You know?
If you can’t do a record in a
year or so…
KNAC.COM: [Laughs]
McKAGAN: …you’re
working too hard on something, or something’s
not there. Something’s missing.
Unless, you know… watch it be
just amazing. It should be after 9
years or something. It damn well better
be!
KNAC.COM: So, you’re
gonna be out on tour soon. What are you
looking forward to playing out live?
Any one song?
McKAGAN: Just-- all! The whole experience,
man. And there’s no one song, that,
you know-- every gig’s going to be
different, and anything could happen on any
night, and that’s what I love about
this band.
KNAC.COM: Duff,
thank you so much! Great talkin’ to
you -- we’ll see you out there!
McKAGAN: All right, Mick. Totally. Give
my best to everyone at KNAC! We’ll see
ya!
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