5 Lessons You’ll Learn From Duff McKagan [Feature]
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Duff McKagan. Guns N’ Roses. Velvet Revolver. These are all names familiar to rock fans worldwide. But behind the music, Duff McKagan struggled to stay afloat and alive even as he stood at the peak of rock bass stardom.
Fortunately, Duff has kept not only rocking, but also living. His story – chronicled in his autobiography It’s So Easy (And Other Lies) and a new accompanying DVD – is seriously inspiring. Duff also has much to teach, many lessons to pass on to any rock aficionados who are willing to listen.
Here are five things you’ll learn from Duff McKagan…
1) Seattle’s music scene was significant even before the grunge explosion.
Today, musicians are expected to walk the do-it-yourself path by default, possibly for the duration of their entire careers. The modern DIY support network is well established, and the Internet provides limitless opportunities for up and coming bands. It’s so easy to get out and get noticed – although there’s still no denying that hard work is required to make a meaningful mark.
Although his name will forever be inextricably linked to the world-conquering Guns N’ Roses, Duff McKagan’s origins lie in the musical capital of the Pacific northwest. He played multiple instruments in multiple Seattle punk bands in the early days of DIY, when times were tougher for under-the-radar acts than they are now. The early stages of his story reveal a fresh perspective on Seattle’s pre-grunge music scene, from basement shows to the tidal wave of heroin that quickly rotted the community from the inside out.
2) Rock ‘n’ roll excess comes with a hefty price tag.
At the height of their fame, Guns N’ Roses acquired a reputation for onstage delays and disruptions that persists to this day. Fans waiting for a show to start inevitably wonder what must be going through the minds of the people behind the scenes. Do they even give a shit?
In It’s So Easy, Duff reveals his experience, night after night, hearing crowds turn ugly, the GN’R bassist turning to drink and drugs to cope with the stress. He relates the reality of effectively paying to play Madison Square Garden, making losses on arena shows on the back of hefty fines for running over venue curfew limits. Throw romantic relationship issues into the mix, and you have a perfect storm from which the only escape seemed to involve intoxication.
Regardless of your perspective on addiction, it remains a reality, and Duff McKagan doesn’t hold back when relating his own battle with bottles and powders and pills. It’s a tough tale put across with directness and disarming clarity. If you’re hungry for tales of debauchery, that’s all in there – but it’s not the whole picture…
3) No matter how messy things get, it’s possible to pull yourself back from the brink and piece a meaningful life together.
Picture a rock star living his or her life, and you’ll likely imagine mammoth stage sets, adoring audiences, and rowdy but ultimately consequence-free partying. For Duff McKagan, the journey also involved a burst pancreas and a traumatic hospital stay, the bassist begging doctors to kill him rather than pull him through inhuman levels of pain. Again, Duff’s story is one where punches are never pulled – even when they’re directed against himself.
Post-hospital, Duff’s recovery involved biking, kickboxing, and generally getting healthy. For a long time, it kept him alive and in the game – and for anyone struggling with their own problems, there’s no doubt that It’s So Easy and its accompany DVD paints an inspiring picture of what life can be like as you recover from traumatic experiences.
4) You can make school cool – and it’s never too late to go back.
One key aspect of Duff McKagan’s recovery might surprise you. The music business is full of sharks – and an endless parade of artists throughout its history have wound up bent over and screwed over. Still, no real rock star would ever dream of studying accounting…right?
Duff McKagan is different. Today, he’s a graduate of Seattle University’s business and economics program, with a reputation for knowing his shit when it comes to dealing with the business side of the music business. In his latest book How To Be A Man (And Other Illusions), Duff even goes so far as to offer his readers a list of essential books to check out, effectively prescribing his own curriculum.
5) You never know what the future holds.
From begging for death to living life as a husband, father, veteran rocker, author, and guiding light for anyone planning to walk the path he knows so well, Duff McKagan has seen his life take plenty of twists and turns. Kickboxing, business school, and Velvet Revolver are but three of the things he could never have envisioned in intensive care – but still, they’re now a part of his story.
For the full, forensically detailed tale, check out It’s So Easy (And Other Lies), How To Be A Man (And Other Illusions), and Duff McKagan’s new DVD It’s So Easy (And Other Lies), Live At The Moore. The latter also features an exceptionally cool acoustic set and interviews with Duff’s family and peers (including Slash, Matt Sorum, and Nikki Sixx), making it a must-watch for any serious rock fan.
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Duff McKagan official website.