Duff McKagan: “Axl was never there to write the music”

The bassist of Guns N’ Roses Duff McKagan spoke to Bass Player about the creative process within the band back in the days of the early albums revealing that Axl Rose he was never present when it came to jotting down ideas.

McKagan was asked if drinking before a recording session has ever influenced his work, his writing. Duff responded disenchantedly: “My drinking never got in the way of writing bass parts. I was writing music with other drunks at the time! So we were all on the same playing field.”

Duff later said that there was a creative difference when he worked together with the frontman Axl Rose. “Axl never drank much, but he was never there to write the music. He would come in once something was done. On “Appetite” we didn’t have a sound system in our rehearsal room, so he couldn’t sing anything even if he wanted to But Slash and I have been songwriting partners for most of my career.”

Anyway Duff McKagan think that Axl Rose is a great band leader.

In another interview he explained how Axl is truly a great professional: “He has a lot of lightness, but he takes it very seriously. He warms up for an hour and a half. We are always on time and play everything. If there is a curfew at 11, we respect it, that means we will start at 7:30, otherwise we won’t be able to play all the songs. If we start at 8:00, we will play less, and he doesn’t want to see his triumph in the last eight years.”.