2006.04.DD - The Opie & Anthony Show - Interview with Duff [excerpt]

O&A - When was the last time you talked to Axl?

Duff - Axl? Um… when was the last time I talked to him? It's been a long time, man....

O&A – Yeah.

Duff - It's been 10 years.

O&A – Wow. At this point, do you feel sorry for him?

Duff - Do I feel sorry for him? … You know, no, I mean, he just seems to be out there having fun and doing his thing and... yeah.

O&A - What is it with him? Like, there was this Philadelphia gig a couple years ago. I think it was the last time they tried to do gigs, and he just didn't show up. Does he have this, like, some kinda weird Carly Simon fear of performing? Why does he not show up, or is known for not doing that?

Duff – Yeah, you know, that's always been a… (Laughs) Oh, my alarm just went off! Did you hear that?

O&A - That's your alarm?!

Duff – Yeah, did you hear this? Rocking!

(Laughter)

Duff - That would've woke me up.

O&A - A rocking alarm.

Duff - Hold on a second, guys.

O&A – Hey, what riff is that?

Duff – Wow.

O&A - What is that?

Duff - "That's… just some Nashville rock station.

O&A – Oh, okay. You just had it on the alarm clock or whatever.

Duff – Yeah.

O&A – Oh, right on.

Duff – Um, I don't think he got a fear of playing… You guys are putting me on the spot here, on the past "cup of coffee"…

O&A – Well, we didn't mean to, Duff.

Duff – Ah, no, no, no.

O&A - I gotta be honest, though. A lot of people wanna know, you know?

O&A - We asked… we asked.

Duff – No!

O&A - We've had a good relationship.

Duff - I wanted to know, too - a lot of times, too. Let me be honest, man.

O&A - We just-

Duff - We went out and toured and, you know, it got… (laughs). I had the same questions you guys have, you know?

O&A - I gotta tell you, I was a huge GN’R fan. I mean, absolutely huge. Who wasn’t? I was starting to get bored with music, then GN’R came along, then a few years later Nirvana, and I was set. I was really, really happy. I'm like, “Okay, rock is coming back."

Duff - It just started rolling there for a while, huh?

O&A - It certainly did.

Duff - There were Alice In Chains, Nirvana, Soundgarden… so many great records coming out.

O&A - Layne Staley! Man, one of the greatest voices in rock.

Duff – Layne!

O&A - But I went and saw Guns N Roses - and I think this is what Jimmy is getting at, too. I used to get so frustrated. There would be times when Skid Row or somebody would be the warm-up, and then you guys would come on two hours later.

Duff – Or four.

O&A - We got tired and we had jobs the next day.

O&A – Four hours later, really?

O&A – Yeah, sometimes it was four hours later. Like, what was the - I don't think we are putting you on the spot with this. Like, what was the vibe backstage where we're waiting four hours out there for the rest of the band.

Duff – Well, we... you know, it was not fun for anybody.

O&A – Right.

Duff - It was not fun for-

O&A - Were you waiting for Axl to be-

Duff – Yeah.

O&A - To feel that it was finally time? Or, like, he was just waiting for a sign from the aliens or something?

Duff - Or just to show up!

O&A - Just to show up... yeah.

Duff – Yeah, a lot of times.

O&A – Really?!

Duff – It was very trying, you know…

O&A - I don't doubt it.

Duff - But then, of course, there was the nights when everything was just magical. It was a band that had a lot of rub to it. But when there wasn't… I think that rub did create this magic, you know? And without the rub, I don't know if we would've had that fierceness-

O&A - Yeah...

Duff - To the band, you know? I just don't think it would've happened - it couldn't have happened any other way. So, I don't look back and go, you know, “Yeah, but if…” Because it happened! And it was magical. You know, it was… yeah, we'd go on two hours or four hours late, or not at all, sometimes. But…

O&A - You guys had times when you were supposed to go on, but it just didn't happen?

O&A – Oh, yeah.

Duff - Yeah! But, you know… (laughs).

(Laughter)

Duff - I think, yeah, sometimes there were just those times when it was absolutely, like, breathtaking. Even if you were in the band, you know, you could feel like it was breathtaking, the chemistry… I'm glad I was a part of it. I don't look back at it with any – you know, I'm not pissed off. I'm not anything…

O&A – Yeah.

Duff - My life’s good, man.

O&A - It's nice because you're in Velvet Revolver now…