2024.09.30 - DPA/Süddeutsche Zeitung - Guns N' Roses rocker Duff McKagan raves about Berlin

by **Blackstar** Wed Oct 30, 2024 12:10 am

Original article in German:

https://www.sueddeutsche.de/panorama/bassist-auf-solotournee-guns-n-roses-rocker-duff-mckagan-schwaermt-von-berlin-dpa.urn-newsml-dpa-com-20090101-240930-930-247323

Translation with Deepl:
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Guns N' Roses rocker Duff McKagan raves about Berlin

With Guns N' Roses he is on stage in front of tens of thousands of people in stadiums. As a solo artist, Duff McKagan is now playing clubs again - and is particularly looking forward to his performance in Berlin.

London (dpa) - US rock star Duff McKagan of Guns N' Roses is looking forward to performing in Berlin and other German cities on his upcoming "Lighthouse" solo tour in October. "I love Berlin," Duff (60) told the German Press Agency in London. "The history of this city is fascinating - the Golden Twenties and of course the post-war period with East and West Berlin."

New single with Berlin connection

The fall of the Berlin Wall made a lasting impression on the self-declared history buff, who loves reading thick history books. "I was there," said the Guns N' Roses bassist, who is also the lead singer as a solo artist. "And when the wall came down, it was pretty crazy, incredible and wonderful at the same time."

Now Duff has released a cover version of the classic song "Heroes" by David Bowie. Bowie, who lived in Berlin at the end of the 1970s, was allegedly inspired to write the song by two lovers from the East and West. "They were sitting right next to the wall," said Duff. "He wrote this beautiful song based on that situation. I just love the imagery of that story."

Rock star loves walks

When he is in Europe, he goes for long walks with his wife and explores the area. "I'm a real tourist," joked Duff. Especially in Berlin, where he will be on stage at Heimathafen on October 14. "This city is also just beautiful to walk around. The Brandenburg Gate and the whole area there are just great." He enjoys visiting museums, galleries, restaurants and coffee shops with his wife.

He also has fond memories of Munich and Cologne, where he will be giving concerts as part of his solo tour (8.10. in Cologne, 9.10. in Munich). "My wife and I love Munich, it's almost picturesque," said the musician, who strikes a somewhat calmer note as a solo artist. He has also played in Cologne several times with his bands. "It's great that I'm now playing there solo, too."