2019.05.30 - Kerrang! - In Conversation With Duff McKagan

Excerpts from Ultimate Guitar:
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During a conversation with Kerrang, bassist Duff McKagan singled out what he considers the best aspect of the ongoing Guns N' Roses reunion, saying (transcribed by UG):

"The best thing about it is that we did reconnect in a very deep way and a very solid way - very righteous and cool - talked about things.

"And we discovered we're now fucking grown-ass men and can be honest with each other and that's been, I think, for all of us, it's been that thing that's been hanging there that you get asked about in every interview you do since then, and now we finally were able to really communicate and figure shit out.

"Now it's almost funny. We'll talk about a story, like, 'I thought it went down like this,' and you hear three different opinions and you're all wrong, of course.

"You've been mad about it ever since, it's been, I don't know what the word is, it gave me intellectual and spiritual sobriety to be able to go out in the world this time around and observe what else is going on and have empathy and see these crowds."

Focusing on the audiences, Duff continued:

"The crowds that came, man, I met some really cool fans that made me realize - we all think, like, you get in an elevator or something, like, you're the most interesting person in that elevator, 'I'm the most interesting motherfucker in this room.'

"And just when you start thinking you're the most interesting motherfucker in the room, it's that guy who's got his little girl out in front, they've come to seven straight shows, why is that? And they cry during 'Sweet Child O' Mine' - just a guy and his little girl.

"They are standing in the same place, I'm a sucker for kids in the front row, they'll get everything I have: wristbands, picks... especially little girls because I have two of those.

"I was in New Orleans one day with my wife, we were doing a nerdy fucking thing, we were gonna go on the stage, do the tour of the city, and we saw the guy and his daughter, and she had nine of my wristbands all the way up her arm and she's nine years old.

"And the dad, I'm, like, 'I've seen you guys at the last seven shows at the same place, what goes on with that?'. Not to bring it down again, but he said, 'Her mom died,' and I didn't know how to deal with it, so we just started going through what was their favorite song.

"For them, as a family, it was 'Sweet Child of Mine,' and I saw them crying. I guess when you think you're the most interesting person in the room, you meet people who come to your shows, and their stories are so deep, sometimes beautiful, sometimes heavy like that.

"And that kind of joining in with the audience, like, every show is a celebration man, it made me want to do something beyond that, and this record [solo album ['Tenderness'] is a result of that."

https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/duff_mckagan_names_the_best_thing_about_guns_n_roses_reunion.html