2004.06.14 - KNAC.COM - Exclusive! Interview With Duff McKagan

Thanks to @Surge for sending us this article!
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Exclusive! Interview With Velvet Revolver Bassist Duff McKagan

By Mick Stingley, Contributor

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!