1999.08.DD - Hard Force (France) - A Few Questions Before The Year 2000 (Duff)

Translation by Blackstar
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Duff McKagan
[ex-Guns N' Roses]

A FEW QUESTIONS... BEFORE THE YEAR 2000

By Daniel Oliveira

Your five most favourite albums?

Axis: Bold As Love by Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin  I, II or III, Ace Of Spades by Motorhead, 1999 - The New Master by Prince and, probably, Grace by Jeff Buckley.

Your favourite album among those you have recorded?

Appetite For Destruction, because it’s still exceptional to this day. Guns N’ Roses happened at the right place at the right time. That band became the symbol of a generation. We came at a time when music, the “new wave,” was as boring as the current scene. Nobody wanted to play us on the radio. We just kept touring until the demand was felt. When 19-year-old guys come to to tell me that this album is the rock n 'roll record for them, that's something - not just for a generation of fans, but for me, too.

Among the albums you have recorded, which one you feel the least proud of?

When I listen to Use Your Illusion I and II, I find that the production is not the best. There are so many songs on there that would benefit from being remixed... We had started to lose our minds at that time. Then there’s Believe In Me, my first solo album. It was more a musical journal than a real album. But I don't regret anything.

Why did you want to become a musician?

Probably because of Iggy Pop. Actually, as I’m thinking about it, Iggy Pop has a place in my top 5 - definitely the Raw Power album by Iggy & The Stooges. He's an honest guy. I had a dream when I was twelve, before I even knew him. I dreamed of singing in a band and running around on stage. A few years later, I saw him and I thought, “That’s my dream! I want to do exactly what this guy does!"

The first time you felt like a star?

It was when we switched from tour buses to a private plane. It wasn’t a small plane, it was a Boeing 727! At that point I figured that we were a big band. That was in 1991.

The artists you are proud to have influenced?

The kids from Murder City Devils (a punk band from Seattle). They tell anyone who will hear it that Guns is their biggest influence. It's a great band. And it feels great to know that you have influenced young musicians.

The most memorable and special moment of your career?

Probably the "Rock In Rio" festival. We were in Rio de Janeiro, a somewhat exotic city. We had no idea how many people knew us and we found ourselves playing in front of 100,000 people. It was incredible. We said, "Oh my God, we’re huge.” And our first contract with Geffen; that’s something you never forget.

The worst moment of your career?

I regret that Guns N’ Roses never recorded one last album for its fans. This is probably my biggest disappointment. This band didn’t have a proper ending. If we’d had a crystal ball and we could see what was going to happen, we might have acted differently. I know I'm not the only one who is disappointed. The fans are, too. We never gave them that last album.

The most metal-friendly country?

On our way to Istanbul (Turkey), we were wondering if the kids there knew who we were. We arrived at the stadium and there was 80,000 people. I wouldn't say that it’s the most rock 'n' roll city, but the environment was very special. There are a lot of metal fans in Asia.

Your prediction for metal in the next century?

I think it's coming back, the kids are giving us a flashback. Maybe Loaded will contribute to the reemergence of this kind of music. It's kind of like saying, "Hey kids, that's how we rock 'n' roll." Hard rock is coming back. Everyone says it. There’s a lot of new bands in Los Angeles, the kids don't need to worry. They will benefit from a whole new hard rock scene.