In an exclusive People Magazine interview, Guns N' Roses bassist, Duff McKagan, opens up about his struggles with addiction in his teens and 20s, and how he turned his life around. The following is an excerpt from the story...
"Success, to me, has never been cars or money or whatever," McKagan tells People in this week's issue. "I play with artsits who are amazing, and I have (wife) Susan (Holmes). With those two things, I feel like I could tame a lion. I've got so much good s--- behind me."
It's been a long journey here for McKagan, whose semi-charmed life once felt far out of reach.
"At 15, I had this romantic, Norman Rockwell vision of s---, and I didn't think I was going to get there at 27, 28, 29, 30," he says. "But some things happened to me that switched my direction in life, and here I am."
A major shift in McKagan's life happened at age 30 in 1994, when he decided to finally get sober after being hospitalized for acute alcohol-induced pancreatitis.
"I wasn't planning on living past 30 at that point," he says. "I wasn't headed toward a long life at all. Not to be morose, but that's just the truth. I'd gotten used to people dying, and when you get used to it and you're using, it's a really dark place."
Read more at People.com.
McKagan recently released his third solo album, Lighthouse, available now in a wide range of formats including streaming, download, CD, cassette, and LP. A number of deluxe versions and bundles featuring official Certificates of Authenticity signed by McKagan are also available.
In addition, two webstore exclusive vinyl variants – “Transparent Green & “Black Marble” and “Black Velvet” – of the deluxe packaging are on offer, including three lithographs, a 12-page booklet, a sticker, and a guitar pick, all enclosed in a transparent PVC sleeve allowing interchangeability of the graphics displayed on the album’s cover.
Lighthouse – as well as an exclusive line of brand-new Lighthouse merch – is available now at duffonline.com.
Tracklisting:
"Lighthouse"
"Longfeather"
"Holy Water"
"I Saw God On 10th St"
"Fallen"
"Forgiveness"
"Just Another Shakedown"
"Fallen Ones"
"Hope" (Feat. Slash)
"I Just Don’t Know" (Feat. Jerry Cantrell)
"Lighthouse" (Reprise) (Feat. Iggy Pop)
"I Just Don't Know" video:
"Longfeather" video:
"I Saw God On 10th St." visualizer:
"Lighthouse" visualizer:
(Photo - Charles Peterson)
