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APPETITE FOR DISCUSSION
Welcome to Appetite for Discussion -- a Guns N' Roses fan forum!

Please feel free to look around the forum as a guest, I hope you will find something of interest. If you want to join the discussions or contribute in other ways then you need to become a member. We especially welcome anyone who wants to share documents for our archive or would be interested in translating or transcribing articles and interviews.

Registering is free and easy.

Cheers!
SoulMonster

2024.09.23 - Metalitalia.com - Duff McKagan: The voice of a guitar vibrating on the chest

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2024.09.23 - Metalitalia.com - Duff McKagan: The voice of a guitar vibrating on the chest Empty 2024.09.23 - Metalitalia.com - Duff McKagan: The voice of a guitar vibrating on the chest

Post by Blackstar Thu Oct 31, 2024 1:46 pm

Original article in Italian:

https://metalitalia.com/intervista/duff-mckagan-la-voce-di-una-chitarra-che-vibra-sul-petto/

Translation with Deepl:
____________________

DUFF McKAGAN - The voice of a guitar vibrating on the chest

Published on 09/23/2024 by Carlo Paleari

Duff McKagan is a star who is used to standing in front of huge oceanic crowds, yet he has never forgotten the pleasure of performing in front of a (relatively) small audience in a club: he did it when he played punk rock, or in the early days of Guns, and he still does it today that he has discovered the pleasure of indulging in the warm sound of an acoustic guitar.

We are just a few weeks away from Duff's Milan date, performing at Magazzini Generali on Oct. 16, and we jumped at the chance to catch up with him for a brief chat about this new solo adventure of his that has led him to release two albums, first "Tenderness," in 2019, and now "Lighthouse," which sees the bassist trying his hand at styles very different from those to which he has accustomed us, from blues to singer-songwriter.

Duff has always given us the impression that he is the most easygoing and affable member of Guns N' Roses, and our conversation could only confirm this: we found ourselves before a calm interlocutor, with whom we could exchange opinions about what it's like to have teenage children or about the energy it gives back to go to a concert, an artist proud of his music and a true fan of all the many musicians who have influenced him.


DUFF, YOUR NEW ALBUM "LIGHTHOUSE" STRUCK US AS VERY DIVERSE, WHICH MAKES IT VERY DIFFERENT FROM WHAT YOU DO WITH GUNS N' ROSES. HOW DID THIS INTIMATE INSPIRATION OF YOURS COME ABOUT?

- What you see is my room, behind me are two acoustic guitars, a bass guitar, and then there are other guitars. Wherever I am, I always try to have a guitar close at hand.

Around 2014 I decided to really listen to the sound of the acoustic guitar, the feeling of having it against my chest: I had melodies, chords, and it was as if the guitar itself was suggesting when and how to sing. All of a sudden I realized that what was emerging was not trying to scream, it was not telling me to push with my voice, it was instead taking me by the hand and asking me to surrender to the sound of the guitar itself.

You see, I am a big fan of Mark Lanegan, since the 1990s, over time we became friends and I always promised myself to do something in this style sooner or later. So when I finally listened to my acoustic guitar, I found myself in a new place, with a new style and an abundance of melodies that have continued to proliferate since 2014.

"LIGHTHOUSE," THOUGH, IS ALSO VERY DIFFERENT FROM YOUR PREVIOUS SOLO ALBUM, "TENDERNESS"...

- The sound of "Tenderness" is very different from that of "Lighthouse," because on the first one Shooter Jennings was with me, and he produced the record, involving his band in the studio as well. Obviously having him and his band, the record took a certain direction: there is pedal steel guitar, fiddle and generally that typical Americana (a subgenre of country, ed.) vibe that I love very much and that was completely new to me. The songs were there, but they were interpreted with a particular slant in the arrangements.

Fast forward to 2020: we were about to do a big tour in South America and Europe with Guns, I just had time to record demos for four to five songs, and then I flew to Los Angeles to rehearse for the tour.

That's when the pandemic came and at first it looked like we were going to have to stay locked in for a couple of weeks, so I thought it would be a good idea to finish those songs I had started in Seattle. Then those two weeks became four, and so I had even more time to work on the new tunes. I did almost everything myself, with the help of Martin Ferveyear, the producer, and Jamie Douglas, who is Shooter Jennings' drummer. I would send him the tracks and he would send them back to me after two to three days with the drum parts. On some songs I played it myself, I picked up the sticks again, like when I played in a punk band.

That's the main difference, on this record it's just me, with the help of a few friends, like Tim DiGiulio, a guitar player who will also play live with me along with Jeff Fielder, Mark Lanegan's guitarist. If you come to the show, keep an eye out for these two guitar players, they are outstanding. Anyway, I was saying, Tim DiGiulio was able to play some guitar parts, but because it was Covid period, everything was complicated, I was telling him things like, "Can you finish these five songs in the next four hours? Play at your best, think we have to leave a mark, but do it in five minutes!" And he was amazing.

The energy in the studio was really special, there was a lot of creativity, so much so that we kept recording. I could finish four albums with all the material we have! "Lighthouse" is the result of these recordings, we chose ten songs that fit together and I wanted the album to tell a story.

I read a lot and I wanted to give the album a novel-like structure, with an introduction, peaks and troughs, and a nice conclusion. About what's next, I really don't know, and I don't mean that in a negative way. I for one am curious to find out.

I READ THAT EVEN BOB DYLAN HAD SOME VERY FLATTERING WORDS ABOUT ONE OF YOUR SONGS, "CHIP AWAY." DYLAN IS CERTAINLY NOT AN ARTIST WHO LAVISHES PRAISE ON ANYONE, SO THAT MUST HAVE BEEN QUITE SATISFYING.

- Yes, it came out of the blue, because Bob Dylan is not someone who gives many interviews. My name came up in the first interview he did in who knows how long, I don't remember if it was the Wall Street Journal or the Washington Post, anyway a big publication.

I started getting messages, first from England, because you know, with the time difference some news comes first there, then from the East Coast, my phone was exploding! It was really special... This summer Jacob Dylan (Bob's son, lead singer of Wallflower, ed.) was in Seattle, and for me it was the first summer off since I was, I don't know, 20 years old. Pearl Jam was playing in town, and my wife and I invited Jacob to go see them: we had met years ago, but my manager knows him, so he put us in touch, we met him at the hotel, and then we went to the show together. So I asked him about this thing about his father, and he said, "no, really, he likes you so much!" and to me that's crazy!

THERE ARE ALSO SEVERAL GUESTS ON THE ALBUM, AND I THINK ONE IS PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT TO YOU, I'M TALKING ABOUT IGGY POP. I KNOW YOU'RE A BIG FAN OF HIS, SO MUCH SO THAT YOU ALSO OFTEN PLAY STOOGES COVERS LIVE. YOU'VE ALSO HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO PLAY DIRECTLY WITH IGGY LIVE IN THE PAST. HOW DID THIS COLLABORATION COME ABOUT?

- Yes, we've known each other for a long time now, since 1990, when I played with him on the "Brick To Brick" album. I remember him calling me at home, "hey, it's Iggy" ... I thought it was a joke by a friend of mine, because to me Iggy is one of the greatest. That's three, Iggy, Prince and Lemmy, not a bad top three, right?

Anyway, back to now, a couple of years ago I had the opportunity to play on Ozzy Osbourne's new album, along with Chad Smith, with Andrew Watt as producer. A little while later Andrew called me and said he was going to produce Iggy's new album and wanted me on board to write some songs together! And we did, he, me, and Chad Smith. Iggy liked them very much and included them on the album, then he needed a band to play live, five-six shows, and he didn't have to ask us twice.

It was during this tour that he got to hear "Lighthouse" and offered to record that spoken word piece that you hear on the record. Our managers agreed and we got together in the studio. He recorded four versions of it and can you hear the result? Just his voice, it fills the room....

It was great to have Iggy and same with Jerry Cantrell, who heard "Just Don't Know" and offered to record the solo, and then of course Slash on "Hope," which is a song from 1996: there was a master of that song, which was called "Beautiful Disease" at the time, but it was never released.

It took 20 years to get it back, but I finally got it and wanted to include it here because it was perfect for the story I wanted to tell with "Lighthouse."

WE HAD A CHANCE TO ATTEND YOUR MOST RECENT CONCERT IN ITALY, IN MILAN. IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL NIGHT AND YOU GAVE A SPECIAL GIFT TO THE ITALIAN FANS, BECAUSE YOU PLAYED, FOR THE FIRST AND ONLY TIME ON THAT TOUR, "SO FINE."

- The show in Milan was really a special show, it's always been like that in Italy, the fans are really passionate, I can notice that even with Guns N' Roses. You really have the impression that the audience feels every single emotion, the music is experienced as something important, you feel appreciated as an artist. That's why that night I thought of doing something special for Milan.

And you know what's funny? I had been bitten by a poisonous spider the day before! In the hotel, in Switzerland! I remember I took a picture of it and sent it to Slash, because he is an expert on spiders, he told me it was the don't-know-what-about-the-oaks spider, which lives right in Switzerland. And because its bite is poisonous, it gave me problems with my vocal cords. The show went well, but then I found out that certain spiders can cause a kind of laryngitis, and two hours into the show I was completely voiceless! I fully recovered some weeks later....

SPEAKING OF THE TOUR, HOW ARE YOU STRUCTURING THIS SERIES OF DATES INSTEAD? WHAT SHOULD WE EXPECT?

- We're going to start rehearsing for the tour tonight, I'll be playing acoustic guitar, Tim DiGiulio on electric, Jeff Fielder on second guitar, but he also plays keyboards, B-Bender, slide, he can sing... so when we do the songs on "Tenderness" he can play like there's a violin in the band, he's one of those musicians who can do anything. Then Mike Musburger on drums and Mike Squires from Loaded on bass and second vocals.

This band will be very powerful, very different from Shooter's style of band. I'm ready, I've been preparing for two months and I'm looking forward to it. I would like to tell you more, but we still have to work on it. If you had asked me in a week, I could have given you a more complete answer.

THERE'S ONE ASPECT ABOUT THE HEALTH OF HEAVY MUSIC, OR ROCK IN GENERAL, THAT ALWAYS MAKES YOU WONDER. GUNS N' ROSES ARE A GLOBAL BAND, STILL FILLING STADIUMS TODAY, YET IT SEEMS THAT THIS MUSIC SPEAKS MORE TO THE SAME GENERATION THAT KNEW YOU IN THE EIGHTIES OR NINETIES. THERE DOESN'T SEEM TO BE A NEW YOUNG BAND OF THE MAGNITUDE OF THE GUNS N' ROSES ON THE HORIZON, MAYBE NOT ANYMORE. WHY IS THAT IN YOUR OPINION?

- Three days ago I went to see a Metallica concert and spent half the time watching the audience. Even when I play with Guns I look at the audience a lot, because I have a great respect and admiration for each person's story. Sometimes the people I meet have stories that blow my mind and maybe they are eighteen years old.

Looking at the audience, I see that it gathers so many generations: you see fifteen- to sixteen-year-olds, nine-year-olds, twenty-year-olds... We still reach that kind of audience, for those who want it, but the sad thing is that then they don't have their own band.

With Metallica, I saw the same things: kids, teens, teenagers, but maybe there is no new Metallica. Or maybe there is, and we don't know it.

I often listen to music that my daughters like, I like new music, and for the most part it's not heavy music. For example they like a band from Orange Country called The Garden, they've been around for twelve years and they're very original, heavy, but not metal. I really couldn't say why....

Maybe it has something to do with social media, which has reduced the attention span a lot: how many people don't even read half an article, but stop at the headline? With music it's the same, you listen to a third of the song, maybe suggested by an Apple Music algorithm, and if it's a pop song and you like it, the algorithm thinks you should only like that one and suggests only pop music. I like pop, I've always liked it, but it seems like that's all there is today, and yet there are so many great heavy bands out there, who can't manage to be as great as we were-I don't know. I can only look at my daughters and try to understand how they experience it.

IT MUST BE VERY DIFFERENT PLAYING ON A GIANT STAGE, WITH TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE IN FRONT OF IT, SURROUNDED BY BIG SCREENS, THAN ON A CLUB TOUR, WHICH IS DEFINITELY MORE INTIMATE. HOW DO YOU EXPERIENCE THIS?

- I think for the kind of songs I'm writing now, the ones from "Tenderness" and "Lighthouse," a small, intimate environment is much better. I never know in advance how big the venues I will be performing in will be, but I do have a rough idea of the size.

My experience on the "Tenderness" tour made me realize that you really see everyone in these settings, and that's so important for this style of music. It's a group of people gathering around emotionally charged songs, and that is so enriching to me.

It's kind of like going to church, an assembly of people who are interested in what's going on and they're all there together for the same reason. It's a completely different experience and I'm always trying to do new things. Now it's time to start this new adventure.
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