DUFF MCKAGAN Says AXL ROSE Has Come Up With 'Some Magnificent Stuff' For New GUNS N' ROSES Album

During an appearance earlier today (Friday, February 22) on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation", Duff McKagan said that a new GUNS N' ROSES album could happen in the not-too-distant future, remarking: "I heard some new material and there's been some jams going around, and that's the next step for us, for the GN'R thing."

Asked by host Eddie Trunk "how real" the potential is for a new GUNS N' ROSES record, Duff replied: "Oh, it's real. But the fun part and the cool part about GUNS N' ROSES is we don't really talk about it, and what happens next just happens. It's never been that band that there's a direct schedule of how we do things."

He continued: "I've heard some magnificent stuff that Axl [Rose, vocals] has — really cool stuff he'd been working on. So I'm excited about the possibilities with that, of course. I don't mean to get anybody rabid. [A new GUNS N' ROSES album] will happen when it happens, that's for sure."

McKagan also said that he was surprised by the massive success of GUNS N' ROSES' "Not In This Lifetime" tour, which lasted for two and half years. "Anytime I play a gig, if there's three people in there, I'm, like, 'Wow! They came to see me play,'" he said. "Nothing's changed. I'm just always so grateful and astonished. Some of these gigs we played, a lot of 'em — most of 'em, if not all — were astonishing how many people came and were so into it."

Earlier in the month, Slash told Japanese rock critic and media personality Maso Ito on TVK's "Rock City" program that there was "material going on already" for a new GUNS record. But Slash added, "It's just, with GUNS N' ROSES, you don’t go, 'Oh, there is a plan, and it's gonna be like this,' because that's not how it works. So, basically, the only real answer to give is we're hoping to put a new record out, and we'll just see what happens when it happens."

Slash's comments echoed those made by guitarist Richard Fortus the previous week, when the latter told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: "Slash is on tour [with his solo group] right now. Once he gets back from that, we're gonna get some more recording done and hopefully get an album out soon."

There has been speculation about a new album from GUNS N' ROSES ever since three-fifths of its original lineup reunited in 2016 for the "Not In This Lifetime" tour.

There hasn't been a new GUNS N' ROSES album since 2008's "Chinese Democracy", which featured only Axl from the band's classic lineup.

The last collection of original music to feature Axl, Slash and McKagan was 1991's "Use Your Illusions" albums, and the last LP of any kind to feature the three was the 1993 covers set "The Spaghetti Incident?"

Slash is currently on the road overseas with his solo band, MYLES KENNEDY & THE CONSPIRATORS, as they continue to promote their most recent album, "Living The Dream". Axl's plans for the rest of 2019 are less clear, although there has been speculation that he could tour again with AC/DC should that band's singer, Brian Johnson, be unable to perform live again for extended amounts of time.

Photo credit: Katarina Benzova

Thanks: Bob Suehs of Rock N Roll Experience