DUFF MCKAGAN Reflects On The End Of VELVET REVOLVER: 'The Wheels Were Coming Off Through That Whole' Last 'Tour'

In a new interview with the Finding Your Summit podcast, hosted by former NFL player Mark Pattison, Duff McKagan reflected on the breakup of VELVET REVOLVER, the band he formed in 2002 with fellow ex-GUNS N' ROSES members Slash and Matt Sorum.

McKagan, Slash, Sorum and guitarist Dave Kushner held an exhaustive singer search after VELVET REVOLVER's formation that lasted for almost two years, during which they issued an open invitation to the public to send in demos. Eventually they settled on former STONE TEMPLE PILOTS singer Scott Weiland.

VELVET REVOLVER released two full-length albums through RCA/Sony BMG — 2004's "Contraband" and 2007's "Libertad" — before dismissing Weiland in April 2008.

McKagan told Pattison about how VELVET REVOLVER came together (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, I'd grown up a bunch by then. Now we're 10 years away from me getting sober. I'd met [my now-wife] Susan. We'd had two daughters by this time. And I think I was ready for that. We got Scott. We tried out a bunch of singers, and Scott — he came in the room and did it, and obviously [we all thought], 'Oh, this is the guy.' And we talked about drugs and stuff. And he and I went to Lake Chelan for about two months, and got him off of everything and did martial arts. And there's a Sifu, guy up there that I knew, 'cause I had the place in Wenatchee. And we went up and stayed on his hilltop house. It's not even a house; it's in the ground. It's, like, built in the ground. He's off the grid. But it's like a Bruce Lee camp up there. It's amazing. And got Scott off the heroin, did this stuff called Buprenex or whatever. And he wanted to get sober. He goes, 'I wanna get sober like you got sober, martial arts.' I'm, like, "Well, it's gonna be a lot of suffering.' And he did it."

McKagan continued: "[When] that first [VELVET REVOLVER] record was made, [Scott] was sober, and [he stayed clean for] the first tour. And it was great, but you could see it teetering. And the second record, when the wheels came off, was tough. We had a lot of success with that first record. The band grew. It was a big rock band. Suddenly we're a big rock band. And seeing Scott, the demise and losing his wife. He had two kids, and they just kind of took off. 'Scott, you're gonna lose your family, dude. That's what this is all about.' And it was quite sad."

Duff added: "I know him. I know him — him, not the drug Scott. And what a good guy. What an athlete. Everything. He was] super into football, super into Notre Dame. He knew all the X's and O's and all this... You know, there's a lot of other stuff about Scott that was really cool to be around, really fun. College football Saturdays were great. That was his holiday.

"So, yeah, seeing that happen was gnarly, and that was the end of that, really," McKagan concluded. "So we came off tour for that second record, and the wheels were coming off through that whole tour. It was hard to watch."

Weiland was found dead on his band's tour bus in December 2015. The vocalist, who was 48 years old at the time of his death, was on tour with THE WILDABOUTS in Minnesota when he was found unresponsive.

Weiland was found dead on his tour bus in December 2015 at the age of 48 from a toxic mix of drugs and alcohol. The vocalist, who was on the road with his solo band THE WILDABOUTS, was also dealing with self-medication, estrangement from his children, financial difficulties and a steadily increasing drinking problem.

A January 2016 report from Billboard revealed that Scott was dealing with hepatitis C, mental illness and the knowledge that both his parents had cancer in the final months of his life.

In addition to STONE TEMPLE PILOTS, Scott fronted VELVET REVOLVER from 2004 through 2008. He rejoined STP in 2008 after a six-year hiatus, but was dismissed from the group in 2013 due to his erratic behavior.

VELVET REVOLVER reunited with Weiland for a four-song set in January 2012 at a Los Angeles tribute concert for late songwriter John O'Brien, but the band has otherwise remained inactive.

At one point it was reported that VELVET REVOLVER was going to team with STONE SOUR and SLIPKNOT vocalist Corey Taylor, but the idea was ultimately vetoed by Slash. The group and Taylor recorded demos of 10 songs together.