Duff McKagan Reveals How Velvet Revolver Lost Money

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Photo: Rocco Guarino

Photo by Rocco Guarino

In a new interview on Let There Be Talk with Dean Delray, Guns N’ Roses and ex-Velvet Revolver bassist discussed losing money for a year and a half with VR, and also losing money in the early days of Guns N’ Roses.

The Velvet Revolver money quote is interesting, as all of the members were famous by the time the band formed (outside of Dave Kushner), but it was still a new band. Velvet Revolver featured McKagan, Kushner, Slash, Matt Sorum, and Scott Weiland from Stone Temple Pilots. Alternative Nation transcribed McKagan’s comments.

“I didn’t move to LA, I didn’t start punk rock bands for the money. I didn’t move to LA to get rich and famous. I just wanted to find the band that made a difference. When you’re a teenager, you want to make a difference, and I still do. It was never about the money, it never has been, so playing when you make money is great, it certainly helps. But I’ve done plenty of tours, the first year and a half of Velvet Revolver we were in the hole, going out and doing all of that.

But we loved what we were doing, and Guns man, we didn’t make money, not at all for the first, we started in 1985, I think somewhere in 1988 the record had sold by that point. It had been a hit, and selling and selling, but McBob, our techs, our roadies, I borrowed money from McBob to get a sandwich.”