Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan recently discussed co-founder Izzy Stradlin during a recent interview on Rolling Stone Music Now. Here, McKagan discusses the claim that the former Guns N’ Roses guitarist wouldn’t join the recent reunion lineup due to money, and the amount of effort it took to try to make a true original reunion happen. Alternative Nation transcribed McKagan’s comments.
Host: I have to say one thing, listening to this record, you know who would really like this record – Izzy [Stradlin]. Unfortunately he was not part of this reunion, it didn’t work out, what is your take on all of that? It is undeniably unfortunate.
McKagan: Yeah and it wasn’t from us not trying. I don’t know if I have a take beyond what we tried and do and how hard we worked at that. Touring and a big rock band is not for everybody, that is my take on that.
Host: Izzy said it came down to money, which is interesting.
McKagan: Yeah, I don’t even know, I just couldn’t figure it out.
Host: Izzy had been known to agree to projects and then not do them anyway. Knowing your whole story, he amount of times he just comes in and out. I mean people don’t even know about how he was almost part of Velvet Revolver. There has been a lot of coming and going.
McKagan: There’s a lot of coming and going and this was another chapter of that coming and going. I don’t want to say anything that is [inaudible] because I love that guy, Slash and I are sober guys and we went at it with solution based: “let’s make this work” but [in the case of Stradlin] it just didn’t and maybe some other time.
Recently, Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan was interviewed by pro wrestling icon and AEW wrestler Chris Jericho on his podcast, Talk is Jericho. Here, McKagan revealed to the Fozzy frontman why plans for the original reunion lineup fell apart.
Jericho: Was there ever a thought of trying with the original five guys?
McKagan: Sure, but there were just some things where it was just impossible to get [it] to work. It’s not like we didn’t try and with Steven [Adler] it was great to bring him out where he could and play a couple of songs. This is a long set, like you said, gig shape. You have to train like a pro athlete. Not any different. I’m fifty-five years old, I’ fifty-five and I gotta train like I’m twenty-eight or twenty-five. So, that takes a lot [out of you], you gotta have the mindset, you gotta have the fighters mindset.
You can listen to the latest Guns N’ Roses fan podcast Appetite for Distortion episode with Alice Cooper below.
