Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan’s brother Matthew McKagan was recently interviewed on the Appetite For Distortion podcast. Out of 8 McKagan children, Matthew is #7 and Duff #8, only separated by 2 1/2 years. What was it like growing up together? Did he foresee his brother’s success? How did he handle Duff’s path to sobriety? What’s the story behind him playing on “Move to the City” and “Live and Let Die”? Matthew discussed kickboxing helping Duff get clean and sober, and how an intervention in Seattle once fell apart. Alternative Nation transcribed McKagan’s comments.
“It changed Duff’s life, this guy [Benny The Jet] kind of took Duff under his wing, and really started to help him out, and gave him a focus inside the ring. Duff was able to transfer that focus inside the ring to his whole life, and it really changed him. It was a huge part of his recovery, was that, was Benny The Jet and kickboxing, and the discipline that goes into it. It really helped him out.”
“Our family tried to do an intervention up in Seattle, I forgot what year it was, but I had a feeling it was not going to be successful, so I flew up there, and the whole family met at my Mom’s house, and they had this interventionist come. Then Duff came, and we were all there waiting for him, and he took one look at us, and this lady came out and said, ‘Hey, your family is here because they care about you, and they think there is some stuff going on.’ He went, ‘Oh, no way.’ He turned and left, and ran out, and I ran after him, and went to a bar, then we flew back to LA. It was too much, too soon. I had a feeling that was not going to work. He finally figured it out, but he had to do it on his own.”
You can also listen to a new interview with Michael Monroe below.
