DUFF MCKAGAN Talks JANE'S ADDICTION, Playing With AXL ROSE

March 15, 2011

Marc Spitz of VanityFair.com recently conducted an interview with Duff McKagan (DUFF MCKAGAN'S LOADED, VELVET REVOLVER, GUNS N' ROSES). A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

VanityFair.com: What happened with JANE'S ADDICTION?

Duff: Eric [Avery] had just left and Perry [Farrell] was pretty crestfallen about the whole situation. He asked me if I could come in and help them write a record. I said we could try, so we went into Perry's garage. [Original GUNS N' ROSES drummer] Steven Adler and I used to go watch JANE'S at the Music Machine in L.A. There wasn't a lot going on in L.A. back then. Flash forward 25 fucking years, and here I am. I talked to Eric on the phone, and he said, "You have my blessing. Go." So I went. I like trying new things and I love Perry. I've known the guys for a long time. I tried to do my best to help them out. They'd become my comrades, and Eric's departure hit them hard. We wrote some really great songs, but when I started recording with LOADED in August, I really discovered I can only do one or the other.

VanityFair.com: You're also one of only two original GUNS to play with the new lineup [Izzy Stradlin being the other]. How did that happen and what was it like to be back onstage with Axl [Rose]?

Duff: It happened out of the blue. I was in London and Axl and I were in the same hotel. The hotel manager told me that Axl was in the room next to mine, of all the hotels in the world. It was more about us bumping into each other. We'd been through a lot together. We'd had the extraordinary circumstance of being thrown into a fish bowl. As far as the gig, I was really jet-lagged and on Red Bull. From the first song, I thought, I'm going to have to do interviews about this forever. It was the first thing that popped in my head.

VanityFair.com: People still have enormous affection for the original lineup. What happens when GUNS N' ROSES gets elected to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame? Do you foresee everyone being civil, or will it be awkward like VAN HALEN's notorious induction?

Duff: VELVET REVOLVER was the band that played instead of [David Lee Roth with] VAN HALEN. It was really awkward for us, but I don't know. You just presented me with a lot of ifs. All I know is hopefully I can make the right decision if that comes up. I don't know what the right thing to do is. I really don't.

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