2007.08.28 - 97.9 The Loop - Interview with Duff

Transcript:
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Erin Carman: Well, we’re backstage at the First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre. I’m Erin Carman from the rock station The Loop.

Duff: Hi Erin.

Erin Carman: Duff, yeah, it’s very nice to meet you.

Duff: Yeah.

Erin Carman: I saw you at The Riv not that long ago, and you will always be etched in my mind as the man who has worn the lowest pants, and thank you for that.

Duff: Oh.

Erin Carman: Lower… yeah (laughs). It was like, you have the most defined abs I’ve ever seen.

Duff: Well, thanks (laughs).

Erin Carman: (Laughs) It’s like, the only lower thing than your pants are your abs – wait, how did I say that. The only thing lower than your pants was your bass. But anyway, moving on from that, that’s not important. How’s the tour going?

Duff: This tour is the best tour, bar none. I mean, I just was in, before we did this - Alice In Chains have a jam room and I just went and played with them. It’s like, it’s a real brotherhood out here, you know, and they’re a band I’ve always loved, guys I’ve known for a long time, for almost 20 years. The last tour that I was really, like, into all the bands that were on it was when Guns took out Soundgarden and Faith No More. I got to play a heavy hand in choosing those two bands. You know, Soundgarden were friends of mine from Seattle and they were just breaking, and Faith No More had The Real Thing record that just broke or sort of breaking in. That world tour was killer - every night, you know, it was killer. And this tour is really reminiscent of that.

Erin Carman: So you had a chance at one point where you ever toured – did you tour while Lane was still around, or no?

Duff: Well, we never had Alice out. I’ve never toured with Alice when Lane was… you know, never toured with – Guns N’ Roses never had Alice. Soundgarden, Faith No More and a lot of other bands, but never Alice. I was friends with Lane and he was a great guy, really funny guy, really engaging guy, and that’s a tragic thing that happened. But it’s amazing to see these guys pick up and really claim what’s rightfully theirs, I think, and a place - you know, a pretty heavy place in rock ‘n’ roll. They’re a great band, and they have a great singer in William, and they’re very important.

Erin Carman: Well, I was talking – like, I mentioned seeing you and I’m encouraging people to come see Velvet Revolver, because there’s so many… just looking at you, Duff, and Slash, and Scott, you guys are rock stars. And the way the music industry is now – not saying anything against the bands now, but there aren’t… I mean, you’re a legitimate like, you know, Joe Perry and Steven Tyler. You guys are rock stars and it’s still… you know, it’s pretty amazing to… (laughs). See, I get nervous just talking to you, because you’ve been… (Laughing) Thank you, I feel much better. Okay, you mentioned a 20th anniversary of Appetite of Destruction was celebrated.

Duff: Yeah.

Erin Carman: How was it? Did everybody get back together? I don’t think… I’m sure Axl wasn’t a part of that, but I know there was a celebration of that.

Duff: Well, it was pretty ad hoc celebration. I mean, Steven Adler had a gig and I think it landed on the day the record came out. And whether they planned it all at the Key Club in L.A - probably [they did], but, you know, for me it was cool, because for us it wasn’t a 20-year celebration. It was Izzy calling me and saying, “Hey, Steven is in town, he’s rehearsing for this gig, I’m at his rehearsal place.” I said, “Where is it?” I’d just got out of rehearsal for this tour and, as it turned out, it was, like, two blocks from where I was driving, where I was at that point. So I went over and I hadn’t seen Steven for some years – I’d talked to him on the phone, but he lives in Vegas and I just hadn’t seen him. It was great seeing him, and we got up, I played a song with those guys, Adler’s Appetite, and it was fun. It was really like… it was Jerry Cantrell, Sean, myself, Gilby and Izzy, all going down to just hang out. To us, it wasn’t a celebration of 20 years.

But, I mean, it’s not lost on me that this is the 20th anniversary of, you know, a big change in my life, and a band that really believed in itself and believed in the songs, and hell or high water we were gonna get those songs across. And it really seemed, for the first eight months, that nobody was going to get it. We just toured, toured and toured, and nobody got it. And that was fine; we didn’t really expect anybody to get it. All of a sudden, with the release of Sweet Child, it went from, you know, 17 people in the audience to the next night…We opened for Aerosmith at that point. Nobody knew who we were except for our 17 fans, and next night it was 70, and it really went this quickly. Like, the next night was 700, and by the end of the week it was all 15,000 people there for us. It was really exceptional and really cool. So, you know, a great time in my life 20 years ago.

Erin Carman: Yeah. Well, and you’re living the life that so many people want to live.

Duff: Yeah.

Erin Carman: And today, how does it compare? Or, you know, I know with Alice In Chains is something you haven’t done before, so that’s a big deal. But what’s your ordinary day today? I mean, you have that covered, you’re a rock star. What else do you thrive on besides knowing, like, Japanese and… (laughs).

Duff: Yeah (laughs). Well, really, my day, I’m just like everybody else.

Erin Carman: Yes. Tell me about your ordinary day.

Duff: Okay. Well, it’s my wedding anniversary, and my wife and my daughters are out with me.

Erin Carman: Oh!

Duff: Yeah. So I wake up on the tour bus, have coffee… We were at the Greyhound repair lot somewhere and our bus driver told us last night – he told me, “Okay, if you go up across an overpass, you can get a cab. So when you get up, look out the bus and you’ll see an overpass.” So we saw an overpass and, you know, it was me, my wife, the kids and our bags. And we went up over at the overpass, got a cab to the hotel, and went to the gym, celebrated – if you know what I mean…

Erin Carman: Yeah…  

Duff: And came to the gig. Really, I’m living the dream, you know. Right now I’m happy to be healthy, happy to be here tonight, plan, and I really seem to be in the moment, every song that we’re playing on stage. I think large part is that this tour has really revived this band. It’s a really special tour. Anybody who is not here tonight, or who won’t be coming tonight, they’re missing something, because it… Kill Hannah really surprised me - it’s another band. You know, it’s just surprised me. Young kids who… they got it right, you know. So, it’s great to be here on your station…

Erin Carman: (Laughs) Well, thank you for taking a moment and you said… I absolutely love Velvet Revolver. I love you guys that you’re doing a great, fantastic job. Thank you and congratulations on the new album.

Duff: Thank you.

Erin Carman: Nice to meet you. Thanks for taking the time.

Duff: All right.