DUFF MCKAGAN Says His Addition To JANE'S ADDICTION Was 'A Natural Fit'

April 13, 2010

Duff McKagan (VELVET REVOLVER, GUNS N' ROSES, DUFF MCKAGAN'S LOADED) spoke to RollingStone.com about his stint as the new bassist in JANE'S ADDICTION. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

On being hired by JANE'S ADDICTION:

"We're from the same musical time, the same town, the same era. It was a natural fit."

On replacing original JANE'S ADDICTION bassist Eric Avery, who exited the group once again after a recent Australian tour:

"I don't have years of history with this band. So there's no like, 'Oh, what happened to that chick in 1989?' still twenty-fucking-five years later. Everything's been great."

"I've never been in a band I wasn't in from the beginning. So to play songs like 'Been Caught Stealing' is pretty fucking kickass."

On writing new songs with JANE'S ADDICTION:

"That's 97 percent of what our time is geared towards. When I first sent some songs to Perry [Farrell, vocals] they were the in the usual style that I write music — verse, chorus, chorus, bridge, double chorus, etc. If you listen to a great JANE'S ADDICTION song, though, there's no chorus! It's just riff, and then it goes into some psychedelic jam. I've had to learn to sort of adapt as a songwriter. I just have to bring in a riff. Some snarling, mean, dark and dismal riff, that's going to be our thing."

On the current status of VELVET REVOLVER, which split with singer Scott Weiland in 2008:

"Slash [VELVET REVOLVER guitarist] is going to be touring [behind his new solo album] for at least the next year, and I can't afford to just wait around and see if something's going to happen. These are my years to do something. I'm probably at my peak creatively, and I want to use it. I'm blessed to be able to get that chance now."

"Slash just made the album I've known he's wanted to make since the 'Use Your Illusion' tour in 1993. We play in a band together, but we're also friends. Being friends means giving each other space to do what your heart is telling you at the moment. The thing that happened with Scott [Weiland] happened how it happened. I'm the last guy to say it was his fault or it was his fault. It doesn't matter. We have to move on. We could have gone straight in and started looking for a new singer after Scott left, but we were all just a little beat up. It was a tough last 18 months — and not just with the band, but with management stuff, too."

On the next VELVET REVOLVER record:

"I don't know, a couple years down the line or whatever. Nobody knows, and I'm just doing the work that's being put in front of me and this is what feels pretty great."

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